A Geiz Sworn in Remnant
by 2068
Summary: The world of Kamen Rider and Remnant suddenly merge, and a certain law enforcement group has an idea on who's behind it. A young man is tasked to apprehend the suspect, but his mission goes awry as he loses his memories. Next thing he knows he's lost in a foreign world, he's about to join a rather prestigious school, a soon-to-be demon king is after him and... he's a Kamen Rider?
1. Prologue 2068

_geas (alternatives:_ _ **geis**_ _, géis, deas; plural geasa) is an idiosyncratic taboo, whether of obligation or prohibition, similar to being under a vow._

* * *

All I hear is the deafening noise of alarms, my hands on unfamiliar control mechanisms, and my ass sitting on a cramped seat.

The holographic screen in front of me displays "ERROR" all over, and no matter how much I swipe at it, they won't go away.

I swipe my finger on it again in a desperate attempt—

Oh, it worked!

The "ERROR" signs disappear, now replaced by—

" **BRACE FOR IMPACT"**

Just how the hell did I end up in this situation…?

* * *

…I take a look at my crashed vehicle after crawling out from the rubble.

 _Gah… my head._

Feels like I hit something on the way down here.

Aside from my almost splitting headache, I guess I was unscathed-

…This "Time Mazine" thing is a piece of shit, but at least it's got good security.

Seems like I landed in the middle of a field or some sort. All I see on the ground is grass… and pieces of rocks that went flying all thanks to my driving skills.

No, no, my driving skills are perfectly fine and it's the machine's fault.

I'll just leave it at that.

I see some lights in the distance – must be a city. I guess I'll make that as my next destination.

I pick up the grey briefcase that was buried under some rocks, then started walking.

…Actually…

Now that I think about it…

 _What the hell am I doing here again…?_

* * *

After what seems like to be an hour of walking, I find myself in the middle of a city.

It's very quiet here in the streets, barely any people around. I guess everyone's asleep at this time of the day, since it's pretty dark.

My blind walking lead me to a building that looks like a store or some sort. I can see light coming from the inside, so I guess it's still open…?

"From Dust 'Till Dawn", huh…

Pondering what it means, I decide to just enter the store myself.

"Excuse me," I say, pushing the door open.

"Welcome!" The shopkeeper behind the counter greets me with a smile. A balding old man, what's left of his hair being white, a sign of his age.

I smile back at him, and decide to take a look around. Maybe I can get a better grasp of this world's culture.

Let's see…

Transparent tubes containing liquids of various colors line up the walls, sealed with bronze-colored valves. In the shopkeeper's counter are jewels of all shapes and sizes, also with a wide variety of colors… Jewelry, maybe?

In the corner is a small rack that seems have magazines or some sort. I decide to head there, before all these colors get to my head.

There's a short girl in front of the magazine rack, occupied in a book of her own. She's dressed… peculiarly, to say the least. A long-sleeved black dress, topped off with a red hooded cloak. She wears a pair of black stocking, and combat boots – I think – with red-colored laces.

She must really love that color.

Before I could reach out for a book, I hear the door suddenly burst open.

"Hands in the air!"

A robbery?!

A group of men dressed in black suits enter the shop, following behind a man in a white trenchcoat wearing a bowler hat, who seems to be the leader.

The men in black quickly go to work – They spread across the shop, taking anything they can find.

One of them approaches me and the girl—

"Hands where I can see 'em!"

With no other choice, I comply. I can't simply fight off this many men by myself, especially if I'm unarmed… I have to find an opportunity to strike—

The girl nearby doesn't seem to hear his warning, still invested in whatever she's reading.

"Hey, I said hands up in the air!"

 _Crap, I gotta save her—_

He taps the girl's shoulder, and she turns around slowly.

"Are you… robbing me?"

"YES!"

"Oh."

I couldn't see it from this angle, but whatever she did sent the poor man flying out of the shop.

… _or not._

"Freeze!"

Another one appeared, this time pointing a gun at her. She smirks, running to gain speed and kicking the thug with so much force they both go flying through the window.

She lands gracefully, atop the unconscious bodies of her two victims, a giant red scythe now unfolding in her hand.

What the hell…

…The men seems as surprised as I am.

There's no way that's normal, even in this world, right?!

The remaining men all rush outside, trying to take her down with numbers on their side. None of them could keep up with the girl's fast movements however, and she incapacitates all of them in just a matter of seconds.

…Yeah, that speed _can't_ be normal…

The man in white steps out, cane in hand.

"You were worth every cent, truly you were."

He sarcastically remarked, looking at the sorry state of his henchmen.

"Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening…"

He throws his cigarette to the ground.

 _Now's my chance…_

I start to sprint, running at his direction.

"And as much as I'd love to stick around, I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

He lifts up his cane like a gun, pointing it at the girl in red.

"Not on my watch!"

I jump up and deliver a kick to his back, sending the man sprawling forward. He swings his cane wildly at me – which I barely dodge – then jumps back up on his feet.

"Tch…"

He takes a few steps back, his hands reaching into his pockets—

"Ghouls!"

He throws a few rock-like objects into the ground, then flees the scene. Before we could give chase, the rocks glow, and in an instant they transform to humanoid rock creatures with orange patterns across its body.

Their horned heads turn in our direction, and they slowly advance towards us.

"What the… Grimm in the middle of the city?!"

The girl seems surprised, but she starts fighting back.

No, these aren't "Grimm"…

These are Ghouls. Magical, expendable footsoldiers utilized by Phantoms.

"Go after him, I'll handle these guys!"

I shout at the girl.

"You sure?!"

"Yes!"

The girl seems to doubt my answer, but she nods and… turns to a bunch of swirling rose petals...?

What the hell?

Ah, whatever. I gotta do my job.

I open the briefcase, finding something that looks like a pocket watch and… a Driver?

No way…

Taped to the corner of the briefcase is a note written in red ink that says, **"You should know how to use this"**.

The Driver is white and grey in color, a digital display screen in the middle and two slots on its side, probably to insert this pocket watch. On the top is a button shaped like the knobs on wristwatches that you can use to adjust the clock's hands.

I put the belt on my waist, causing it to generate the beltstrap, wrapping around my waist before tightening.

I parry the attack of an incoming Ghoul, kicking it to the side before moving to get some distance between them.

Alright, now the watch…

The dial is colored red, with the base being black. There are two images that catch my eye – A weird logo on the top, and below it, numbers that spell out "20XX".

Well, I can think about it later, I guess.

I slide the dial down, making the arrow face left.

The watch's screen now forms a face, the yellow visor vaguely looking like a butterfly.

I press the button on the top, causing the watch to display a holographic projection and announce a familiar name.

 **[….…]**

 **[GATES]**

* * *

"I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady. You put yourself and others in great danger." The blonde "Huntress" paced around the room while giving us a lecture. "You too, young man!"

"They started it!" The girl countered, in an attempt of self-defense.

"If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back..." The woman said, much to the red girl's delight. She seemed to notice this, however, and whipped out her riding crop at the table. "And a slap on the wrist."

"Eeek!"

Her sudden action caught me off guard as well, but I managed to hide it.

"But there is someone here who would like to meet you."

A man in a dark green suit walked into the room, carrying a plate full of cookies in one hand, and a cup in the other.

"Ruby Rose..." He leans over the desk, his face close to Ruby's. "You... have silver eyes."

What a creep...

"Um..."

Ruby looks at me in confusion, and I just shrug.

I'm just as lost as you are.

"So, where did you learn how to do _this_?" The man asked, motioning to a tablet held by the huntress, showing a video of Ruby taking down the robbers with her scythe.

"S-Signal Academy." Ruby answered.

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

I raise my eyebrow at that question, but I don't think anyone noticed.

Aren't scythes super impractical as a weapon?

Well, I guess not in her hands, but-

"Well, one teacher in particular..."

"I see." The man places the plate of cookies in front of us. Ruby hesitates for a bit, but within seconds she has basically gobbled up everything, not even leaving any for me.

"Sorry."

"It's fine, I'm not hungry."

That was a lie, though. I'm starving, but judging at the rate she ate all of that, she was probably hungrier than me...

"I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow—" The man in green muttered.

"Oh! That's my Uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing, and now I'm all like—"

She then proceeded to start making kung-fu noises while swinging her arms about wildly, like a caveman attempting to defend itself with a primitive style of martial arts.

"So I've noticed." The man sat down across from us, and looked at Ruby. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

"Well, I want to be a Huntress."

"You want to slay monsters?"

"Yeah! I only have 2 more years of training left at Signal, then I'm going to apply to Beacon!" Ruby answered enthusiastically. "My sister's starting there this year, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought "Hey, might as well make a career out of it! I mean the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and really, gosh, you know!"

A wide smile was on Ruby's face.

"Do you know who I am?" The man asked.

"You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon."

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you."

Quite a belated introduction there, isn't it?

"You want to come to my school?"

"More than anything." Ruby replied.

"Well, okay."

That was anti-climactic, but Ruby's smile widened even further.

"Now, you, young man…" Ozpin suddenly addressed at me. "Come, I have matters to discuss with you privately."

Oh.

"R-right."

I stood up, and followed him out of the door.

Reaching the balcony, he then finally broke his silence.

"Tell me your name."

My name…?

What's my name?

…

Ah, shit, I can't remember. Whatever happened to my head during that time—

"Are you okay?"

"S-Sorry." I blurted out an apology. "Call me… Gates."

The name of the watch.

"You're not of this world, are you?" Ozpin leaned against the balcony's railings, looking at the night sky.

"How'd you—"

"I can tell."

I sighed. "Fine, so what if I am not?"

"No need to be so tense." Ozpin took a sip from his mug – which greatly reminded me of someone, but I can't quite recall who. "Truth is, a while back, I noticed something… _off_ with… space and time. With the world itself."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't quite put it into words… Think about it like this." Ozpin motioned to his cup. "You leave your cup of coffee on the table, and while you're not looking, someone has added something… strange, something that doesn't fit in your coffee, and once you start drinking, it just doesn't taste right."

" _Don't forget your objectives, kid!"_

"Do you follow, so far?"

"Y-Yes."

"So," Ozpin looks at me. "What business do you have here, offworlder? How are you related to this… "development"?"

"I'm… not sure, actually." I lean my back against the wall, trying to remember _anything_. But nothing comes up. "I know I was tasked to come here with a purpose, but…"

"Tasked? By who?"

 _A red man with horns._

"…A higher up. My boss, you could say." Pieces by pieces start to emerge in my mind, but it's still an incomplete puzzle. "But like I said, I can't quite remember everything – I hit my head on my way here. But I can assure you that, whatever my "purpose" is, it's not malicious, and I bear no ill intent to this world and its inhabitants."

Ozpin doesn't seem to believe me, even though I'm telling him the truth. "Very well, I will take your word for it. I am sorry about your memory loss, perhaps you would like me to take you to a nearby hospi—"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm fine. I'm sure they will come back eventually." I reject Ozpin's gracious offer.

Still, though, this memory loss is one hell of a pain in the ass.

It pisses me off that I only lost the memories I need the most, but I still remember every other insignificant detail like what brand of chocolate I liked the most when I was 5.

"So, what do you plan to do after this?"

I freeze at Ozpin's question.

"I… have no idea."

He's right. I have nowhere to go – My "Time Mazine" is busted, and I don't have anyone to contact for help.

"Why don't you go to Beacon, then?" Ozpin raises a rather odd proposal.

"…That's your school where warriors called Huntsman and Huntresses train themselves, right?"

"Mhm."

"Nah, I don't think I can pass the exams for a school like that. Besides, I'm not really interested in—"

"Did you forget that you are talking to the _headmaster_ of Beacon?" A smug smile appears on Ozpin's face. "Consider this: You join Beacon, you get food, shelter – a place you can stay in until your memories return…"

"…And so you can keep an eye on me, in case the story I told you was a lie."

"Precisely."

I smirk. "Fine, I'll give it a try. …A cunning one, aren't you, old man?"

"I get that a lot." Ozpin chuckles, before looking at his watch. "Oh good heavens, look at the time. Let us go back, we can't keep Miss Rose waiting."

"Riiight."

As we walked down the hallway to Ruby's room, Ozpin suddenly said something—

"By the way, the lessons at Beacon shouldn't be too hard to handle for a trained one like yourself, no?"

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't that right?"

Ozpin turned to look at me, muttering two words under his breath.

"Kamen Rider."

* * *

 _Legends._

 _Stories scattered through time._

 _Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easilythat we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past._

 _Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful._

 _But he was born into an unforgiving world._

 _An inevitable darkness, creatures of destruction._

 _The creatures of Grimm set their sights on man and all of his creations._

 _These forces clashed and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void._

 _However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds._

 _This power was appropriately named, "Dust"._

 _Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness and in the shadow's absence, came strength, civilization and most importantly, life._

* * *

" _Aaaand that's the gist of it," said the red man sitting across the desk from me, slamming the report down on the table. "Do you get it? That's the state of_ our _world right now, possibly thanks to that cocky, arrogant asshole of a Rider!"_

 _Well, I guess "man" isn't the right word, considering his face and horns—_

 _He's an Imagin, after all._

" _Yeah, I understand... But why me?" I glance over the documents in my hand, and really, from what I've read, this criminal should be handled by someone more professional._

" _The others are busy working on that "Oma"-Something anomaly, including me." He took a sip of his… multi-colored coffee, before continuing. "The Space-Time Police Corps ain't got enough manpower, and besides, it's not like this is a super hard job or anything, you doof."_

" _Right… And if I fail, I just need to confirm these things then report back, right?"_

" _Yeah, pretty much. Oh, right, one sec—" He bent down, then pulled out a grey briefcase from one of his drawers, which he handed to me._

" _This is…?"_

" _Experimental devices based on the technology from the Oma-Something's era that the research team developed to assist our forces. " He took another sip again, leaving more frosting on his mouth, before continuing. "It's still in the testing phase, and I want you to take it with you, maybe use it to defend yourself, y'know what I mean? You can get both the mission and the tests done. Two birds with one stone."_

 _I stared at the briefcase for a few seconds, before taking it in my hands._

" _Riiight… Is that all?"_

" _Yeah— Oh, one more thing! Don't forget to meet Hana in Vehicle Hangar No. 20. She's got a surprise for you." He places his cup of coffee down, then promptly looks at my face. "Dismissed!"_

 _I bow, and turn to the door._

" _Don't forget your objectives, kid!"_

" _Don't worry, Momotaros-san, I won't."_

 _Geez… He's as overbearing as ever. I heard he's a lot calmer than he used to be though._

 _Ah, right, my objectives…_

 _1\. Confirm the existence of Kamen Riders_

 _2\. Locate and arrest suspect: The Kamen Rider who calls himself a "brilliant physicist"_

 _Finding a person shouldn't be too hard, but in a new world… and also arresting said person, who is a Kamen Rider?_

 _Well, easier said than done, I suppose._

* * *

 **A/N: Here's an idea I've been throwing around my head for a while. Yes I know there's a fic similar to this – which I like, props to the writer, but I only found out about its existence after I finished writing half of this lol. I felt it would be a shame if I didn't publish it, so here it is.**

 **With that said, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and thank you for making it all the way to the end.**

 **Got a question? Feel free to shoot in the review section and I'll answer right away – unless you don't have an account, that'll have to wait until the next chapter.**

 **Anyway, reviews of all kinds are appreciated, so please leave one and have nice day!**

 **(EDIT: Fixed some formatting issues!)**

* * *

 **Next up:**

 **"I can't just sit here and do nothing..."**

 **[RIDER TIME!]**

 **"Henshin!"**


	2. The Shining Beacon

I sit on the seat by the window, placing my bags besides me.

Well, I guess "seat" isn't the right word for it, since they look much like benches.

Unlike the planes I'm used to, this world's airships don't have a row of seats for its passengers to sit on, but instead leaves much more empty space with places to sit placed across the walls.

In a way, it reminds me of a hospital waiting room.

Someone approaches me, and I turn to look at them.

Said person is a girl, wearing red—

Oh, it's just Ruby.

"H-hi!" She greeted me, seeming surprised that I turned to look at her. "You're the one from last night, aren't you? What was it, uh…"

Ah, right, I didn't get to tell her my name.

Now that I think about it, "Gates" is a pretty odd name to have.

So I spent all night coming up with an alternate name that still sounds similar.

From now on, my name is…!

"Geiz. We never got to introduce ourselves properly, huh?"

I reached out my hand, which she shook. "Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you!"

"Heh. Yeah, I know." I smiled, and we released our grips on each other's hands.

"So, uh…" Ruby sat down next to me. "You got accepted to Beacon too?"

"Ahaha…" I scratch the back of my head, laughing nervously. "I guess so, yeah."

"Kinda sucks, doesn't it?" Ruby looks down, like she's reminiscing something. "Suddenly getting moved ahead, leaving all your friends behind… How do you feel about it, Geiz?"

Goddamn, that question caught me off guard.

"Ah, I didn't really go to any school before this—"

I blurted out those words without thinking.

 _Dammit, I shouldn't have said that!"_

"Whoa, really?" Ruby asked, shocked. "What did you do to get accepted, then?"

"i…"

Shit, I'm not a very good liar, am I?

"Ruby?"

I hear someone call out Ruby's name, interrupting our conversation.

Oh thank god.

The source of the voice is a rather tall girl with long, golden hair and lilac eyes. She wears a tan jacket that bares her midriff, a yellow top underneath with a logo resembling fire. She also wears a brown belt around her waist, layered above a pair of black mini-shorts with some sort of white cloth hanging from behind, complimenting her brown knee-high boots and orange socks. Around her neck is a scarf, also colored orange, and on her wrists are a pair of oddly-shaped yellow "braces".

"Yang!"

Ruby stood up, only to immediately receive a tight bearhug from the other girl.

"Oh, I still can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

Baby sister…?

So I guess she's Ruby's older sister?

I know, doesn't take a genius to figure that out, but—

They look so different, it's kinda hard to believe.

"P-please stop…" Ruby pleads, gasping for breath. Her sister immediately releases her death grip, and looks at the red girl's face.

"But I'm so proud of you!"

"Really Sis, it was nothing."

"What do you mean? It was incredible!" Yang exclaims. "Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!"

"I don't want to be the bee's knees, okay?" Ruby fidgeted with the tip of her skirt, looking down at the floor. "I just wanna be a normal girl, with normal knees."

"But you are special."

"Well, considering you stopped a robbery almost entirely by yourself…" I stepped in the conversation. "Yeah, I don't know much about how things work around here, but even I'd say that's pretty special."

"Not you too, Geiz!" Ruby glared at me. "Also, you helped!"

"A friend of Ruby?" Yang smiled at me, stretching her hand out at me. "Yang Xiao Long, nice to meet you."

…"Ruby Rose" and "Yang Xiao Long". Maybe they're adoptive siblings?

"Ah, I should've introduced myself earlier, sorry." I shook Yang's outstretched hand. "Geiz, nice to meet you too."

"Geiz? That's an odd name." Yang tilted her head. "Not from around here, are you?"

"Nope."

"Travelled far then, have you?"

"Preeeeeetty far, yeah." I better think of a way to end this conversation before she asks further questions. "It's a long story."

Yang opened her mouth, but she was interrupted by the sound of a news reporter from a holographic screen nearby.

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."

The screen showed a mugshot of a male criminal with orange hair…

"That's the guy from yesterday, isn't he?" I turned to Ruby.

She nodded. "Yup, no doubt about it."

"Oh yeah, just what kind of things were you two up to last night?" Yang crossed her arms, looking at the two of us. "You didn't tell me anything about this yesterday, Rubes!"

"Ahaha…" Ruby scratched the back of her head.

The news channel changes topics, now talking about a civil rights protest led by a group of people called… Faunus?

It seems this "Faunus" group is made up of people with animal features – like ears, tails, and stuff.

I guess there's more to this world than I thought. I'll have to look into it later.

"In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when the members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony—"

The news was cutoff, replaced by a hologram of Glynda.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon." The hologram greets us and the other students. I can't tell if it's pre-recorded or not.

Yang raised her brow. "Who's that?"

"Oh, the huntress from yesterday." I said. "What was her name again…"

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." The hologram introduced herself.

"Right, it was Glynda."

Yang let out an "Oh.", and the hologram continued speaking.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

And with that speech done, the hologram disappears.

"Oh wow, look! You can see Signal from up here!" Ruby suddenly said, dragging Yang to the window. "I guess home isn't too far after all!"

Yang wrapped her arm around her little sister's shoulders, smiling. "Beacon's our home now."

I… guess the view is pretty good, yeah, though I have no idea which part is supposed to be "Signal".

A sudden gurgling noise caught me by surprise, and I look behind to the sight of a boy with blonde hair hunched over, his hand covering his mouth, who then proceeds to run to the back of the ship.

Gross.

Yang rolled her eyes. "I guess the view isn't for everyone."

"It was a nice moment while it lasted." Ruby chuckled. "I wonder who we're gonna meet… I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy."

I look down, noticing something off.

"Uh… Yang?"

"Yeah, Geiz?"

I clear my throat. "I don't know how else to put this, but… It seems you have some puke on your shoe."

"Ahh! Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"

"G-get away! Get away from me! Get away from me!"

"Hey, hey, don't try to wipe it on me either!"

* * *

"Damn."

Beacon Academy certainly wasn't what I expected.

The view from the ship was incredible, yes, but seeing the giant castle-like structure up close is entirely something else.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!" Yang said, taking in the view. I nodded, but Ruby's attention seems to be occupied with something else.

"Ohmygosh, sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!" Ruby squealed, staring at the weapons of the other students around us.

"Easy there, little sister. They're just weapons!"

Ruby took that statement very seriously, quickly turning around to face her sister. "Just weapons? They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Oh, they're so cool!"

"I dunno, those weapons look pretty normal compared to… You know, your red, giant mechanical portable scythe."

"Aw, thanks, Geiz!" Ruby smiled at me. "It's also a gun, by the way."

"Seriously? No way!"

"Well, why don't you just swoon over your own weapon, Rubes?" Yang asked. "Aren't you happy with it?"

Ruby took out her weapon and unfolded it, turning it to a giant scythe which she proceeded to hug. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose! I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, but better…"

Okay, I think this girl's got a few loose screws in her.

"By the way, Geiz," Ruby turned to look at me, putting her scythe away. "I don't think I have seen your weapon yet. What's it like?"

My weapon?

…I don't have any.

I guess the Driver is the closest thing to it, but I still don't really feel right using a department-issued equipment for a combat school.

"Ahaha, it's kinda hard to explain," I laugh off her question. "Maybe I'll show you later."

"Aw, you're no fun."

Yang sees this as a sign, approaching her sister and putting an arm around her. "Alright, why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?"

"But… why would I need friends if I have you and Geiz here?"

"Well… Actually, my friends are here, gotta go catch up, 'kay see ya bye!"

And with that, Yang dashed off with a group of students who just suddenly appeared behind her.

"Wait!" Ruby called out. "Where are you going? Are we supposed to go to our dorms! Where are our dorms? Do we even have dorms?!"

Ruby's questions are left unanswered, as Yang and her friends are now nowhere to be seen.

"Holy crap, they ran off so fast I couldn't even see how they look like." I told her. "Alright… So where do we go next?"

She sighs. "Beats me…"

"Come on, chin up." I pat her shoulder. "An incredibly talented man once said, "Keep moving forward", and that's what we shall do."

That seemed to cheer her up a bit, and we continue walking. "Oh, really? What was this incredibly talented man's name?"

"Uh… I'm pretty sure it starts with M…" I try to think of a name, but nothing comes up. "Okay, fine, I just made that up. Don't interrogate me about my fake-believe man and his pretend wisdom."

Ruby chuckles, then subsequently trips, falling into a trolley cart full of briefcases, causing them to scatter all over the place.

"What are you doing?!" A girl yelled at Ruby, presumably the owner of the briefcases.

"Uh, sorry…" Ruby apologized, slowly getting up to face the girl.

Said girl is pale-skinned, with long white hair pulled back and tied into a ponytail. I can only describe her attire as "fancy" – a white strapless dress with gradation from white to pale blue, and some sort of cardigan over it, the inner side being red.

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea how much damage you could've caused?!"

Oh man, this is going to turn out ugly.

"Give me that!" The cranky girl snatched a case from Ruby, and grabbed a vial of something red from it.

"Uh..." Ruby stares at her, confused.

"What are you, braindead?!" The girl yelled angrily. As she does so, the vial in her hand started to shake. "Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

"I… I know…"

I sigh. "Look, I apologize for my- No, _we_ apologize, alright? Just… calm down, maybe take a few deep breaths."

Obviously my words aren't getting through her, so I decide to just help clean up the mess.

As I pick up the cases, I hear the sound of Ruby sneezing, immediately followed by an explosion—

Wait, what?!

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

I'm starting to wish I went with Yang instead.

"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little too young to be attending Beacon?!"

"Well, I…"

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice, you know!" The ponytailed girl continued to berate Ruby needlessly. "We're here to fight monsters, so… watch where you're going!"

"Hey, I said I was sorry, _princess_!" Ruby yelled back, finally fed up.

The vial the girl in white was holding fell to the ground, rolling until it stops at the feet of a black-haired girl nearby. She wears a black buttoned vest with coattails, with a white, sleeveless undershirt underneath. She also wears white shorts, connected to her black-purple stockings that matches her black boots.

What catches my attention is the ribbon on her head, though. For some reason, it reminds me of cat ears.

She's kinda cute.

The girl in black picks up the vial, and walks over to Ruby.

"It's heiress, actually." She calmly stated. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world.

So she's named Weiss. Fitting.

That statement caused Weiss to smile smugly. "Finally, some recognition!"

"…And also the same company infamous for its controversial labor forces, and questionable business partners."

Damn, this girl doesn't hold back.

"Good grief, cut it out already, you three." I place the cases gently on the cart, careful to not make another explosion. "There, happy now?"

Judging from the expression on her face, she's far from happy.

"Tch. Tell your absolute dolt of a girlfriend to be more careful next time."

She angrily storms off, but not before taking the vial from the black-haired girl's hand.

"She's not my girlfriend!"  
"He's not my boyfriend!"

We both yell almost at the exact same time, but to no avail.

I turn back to find the black-haired girl gone, and several men in formal suits pushing more carts in the direction where Weiss went.

Right, she's a rich girl, I guess it's to be expected that she has personal butlers helping her carry her stuff.

"Man, what a rough first day…"

Ruby collapses to the ground, lying on her back.

I nod. "Yeah, I really wish I went with Yang instead—"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

* * *

After spending several minutes lost, Ruby and I finally found ourselves on the auditorium, along with Jaune Arc – AKA Vomit Boy – who we met along the way.

"Ruby, Geiz! Over here!" Yang called out to us, waving. "Saved you two a spot!"

"Oh! Hey, w-we gotta go! We'll see you after the ceremony!"

And with that said, Ruby runs off.

"Hey, wait!" Jaune sighs. "Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?!"

"Don't worry bud, plenty more fish in the sea." I lean in close to Jaune's ear, whispering something to him. "Like that red haired girl just behind you – I'm not an expert, but I think she's into you, man. Also she has been following us for a while now and frankly I think it's kind of creepy. Okay, bye!"

I pat him on the back, and run after Ruby.

"Yikes! Meltdown already?" Yang said in disbelief.

"What's going on?" I jump in, taking a seat next to Ruby.

"Ruby said she exploded right after—"

"Yeah, I _literally_ exploded a hole in front of the school!" Ruby interrupted. "And there was some fire, I think some ice…?"

"Are you being sarcastic…?" Yang asked, still not believing what her sister is saying.

I laugh. "No, no, I can confirm. I was there when she, uh, blew up."

"I _wish_ I was being sarcastic! I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

During the entire time Ruby ranted, I could see Weiss creeping behind Ruby, moving closer by each passing second.

Oh crap, here it comes—

"You!"

Ruby jumped out of her seat, straight into her older sister's arms. "Oh god, it's happening again!"

"You were lucky we weren't born off the side of the cliff!"

Aaand there she goes. I'm starting to get sick of her voice.

"Oh my god, you really exploded." Yang deadpanned.

"Can we please not have this again?" I interrupted the girls. "It was just an accident."

"I promise I'll make this up to you, okay?" Ruby sighed.

Weiss pulls out a pamphlet from nowhere, titled "DUST for dummies and other Inadequate Individuals", and then holds it right in front of Ruby's face.

Weiss took a deep breath, then started speaking—

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field."

Holy terms of use, Batman.

"You really wanna start making things up to me?"

Ruby tilts her head. "Absolutely?"

Weiss shoves the pamphlet into Ruby's hands. "Read this and don't ever speak to me again."

"Look, uh," Yang stepped in between the two. "It sounds like you two just… got off on the wrong foot! Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

"Great idea, Yang."

"Yeah! Great idea, sis!" Ruby clears her throat, then holds out her hand. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"

Ruby turns her face and glares at me, and I have no idea why. Does she want me to introduce myself too?

As if reading my mind, she nods.

"Uh… Name's Geiz. Nice to meet—"

The sound of someone clearing their throat echoes across the room, followed by the feedback noise of a mic.

It's Professor Ozpin, standing on stage with Glynda besides him.

"I'll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." Ozpin pauses, looking at all the students across the room, before continuing. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

True to his word, the speech _was_ brief. Ozpin leaves, and then Glynda takes his place in front of the mic.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"He seemed kind of… off." Yang said.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby agreed.

Yeah, Ozpin is definitely an odd man alright. There's more to him than meets the eye.

Which reminds me, I still need to ask him how he knows what a Kamen Rider is.

"Alright, shall we go to the ballroom?" Ruby asked us. "I'm a liiiitle tired."

* * *

I unfold my sleeping bag, the one that I got from Ozpin since I didn't have any personal belongings of my own.

I stretch my arms, then immediately crash on top of it, facing the ceiling.

Dunno why, but I feel really tired for some reason.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang exclaimed, plopping down on her sleeping bag next to Ruby, who seems to be occupied with writing something.

"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though." Ruby replied, still focused on whatever she's doing.

"I know I do!" Yang grinned, checking out the guys around us – most of them shirtless. She then turned to me, disappointed, "What's wrong? No show?"

I sigh. "Unlike some people here, I actually do prefer sleeping with my clothes on, thank you very much."

Right, I wasn't shirtless like most of the other guys. I had a plain white shirt on, along with a pair of trackpants.

In any case, it feels great not having to wear my tracksuit-like uniform.

"That's too bad, I was particularly looking forward to it." She winks at me, then turns her attention to Ruby. "Hey, what's that?"

I feel heat rushing to my cheeks, but I quickly shake it off.

"A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Aw, that's so cute-!" Yang is interrupted by a pillow straight to the face.

"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school." Ruby complained. "It's weird not knowing anyone here!"

"What about Jaune? He's… nice!" Yang said, probably half-heartedly. "And there's Geiz, too! There you go! Plus two friends! That's a two hundred percent increase!"

Ruby shifts, turning on her back. "Pretty sure Weiss counts as _two_ negative friends. Back to zero…"

"There's no such thing as negative friends! You just made two friends and one enemy!" Yang is interrupted once again, this time by a pillow that looks like a dog. "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet!"

"Yeah, Yang's right." I turn to Ruby. "Remember what Jaune said earlier?"

"Jaune…?" Ruby tries to recall, then her eyes light up, her voice's pitch changes in an attempt to impersonate Jaune, "All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people—"

This time, it was my turn to throw a pillow at her face.

"No, not that one!" I snatch the pillow back, placing it below my head. "Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet… or something like that. Well, I guess technically Jaune's mom said that, but you get the point."

Ruby sighs. "Fiiine."

The sound of someone striking a match and lighting a candle catches our attention, and we turn to look at the source.

It's… the cute black-haired girl from before, her back leaning against the wall, eyes focused on a book. Besides her is a small wooden stand, and the aforementioned candle illuminating the area with its fire.

"That girl…"

"You know her, Ruby?"

"Oh yeah, she was there during the Great Ruby Explosion Incident, wasn't she?"

"Shut up!" Ruby angrily throws another pillow at my face – which is fine, I deserved that. "But uh… yeah, she saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything."

"Well, now's your chance!"

Yang grabs hold of Ruby's wrist – and mine too for some reason – before dragging us off towards the girl.

"Hellooo~" Yang sings, causing the black-haired girl to put her book down. "I believe that you three know each other."

Ruby turns to face the other way, crossing her arms.

Meanwhile, I just awkwardly wave at her.

"Aren't you the girl that exploded?" She asked, then turned to look at me, "Oh, and you're the guy that had to clean up the mess."

"H-h-hey there. I'm Geiz."

Very smooth, me. Way to go!

"Uh, yeah, my name's Ruby. But you can just call me… crater…" Ruby trails off, cancelling her joke last-second. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby.

"Okay."

And with that, the girl turns back to her book.

I feel bad for bothering her, but—

Yang pulls us both to the side, whispering.

"What are you two doing?!"

"I don't know, help me!" Ruby whispered back.

Yang lets us go, and we return to our previous stations.

"So… What's your name?" Yang turns to the girl, smiling.

Distracted once again, she sighs. "Blake."

"Well Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister!" Yang introduced herself. "…I like your bow!"

"Thanks."

I think all we're doing is just further irritate her at this point.

"It goes great with your… pajamas!"

"Right…"

Ruby laughs uncomfortably, but it doesn't stop Yang from continuing. "Lovely night, isn't it?"

"Ah yes, Yang," I change my tone of voice, sounding a bit more dramatic. "It's lovely! Almost as lovely as the book that she—"

"—will continue to read as soon as you leave." The black-haired girl interrupts, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"What's it about?" Ruby asks. "Your book."

"Well… i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

Huh, I think I've watched something similar to that… except the guy had four other souls, five in the movie special.

"Oh yeah, that's _real_ lovely!" Yang remarks sarcastically.

"I love books." Ruby said, not minding her older sister. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters… They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."

Ruby's words managed to snatch a small laugh from Blake. "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books… Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

That's… really admirable.

In a way, it reminds me of the Kamen Riders.

Warriors who fought against evil in the shadows – not for justice, but for humanity.

I have to live up to their name—

"That's… very ambitious for a child." Blake's smile turns to a small frown, "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

"Well, that's why we're here. To make the world a better place."

She really takes this Huntsman thing seriously, huh.

"Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" Yang pulls Ruby close, hugging her in an embrace.

"Cut it out!" Ruby yells, clearly disapproving of this forced sisterly bonding.

Blake laughs. "Well, Ruby, Yang, and Geiz, it's a pleasure to ha—"

This wholesome scene before me was quickly interrupted by—

"What in the world is going on over here?!" Weiss storms on, wearing pajamas – like everyone else, I guess – and starts scolding the four of us. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?!"

"Shh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep."

I sigh. I don't want to put up with anymore of this.

"Oh, so _now_ you're on my side!"

I'm going back to bed.

"I was always on your side!"

"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!"

Annoyed, I throw Ruby's pillows at the three of them, just as Blake blows out her candles, causing the room to go pitch dark.

* * *

I couldn't sleep, though, no matter how much I tried.

So now here I am, sitting by the statue of Beacon, taking in the fresh night air.

I look up at the night sky, and for the first time it hit me—

The sight of the moon isn't that of the one I'm used to.

It seems to be… broken into pieces? Shattered. A large portion of it exists in the form of floating, broken fragments held by what I assume is the moon's gravity.

I wonder what caused it to end up like that…

I'll ask the others later, I guess.

For now, I should probably go back to sleep.

I turned to my left, only to be greeted by a hooded man in a swamp green-colored long coat. In his hand is a really thick book, though I can't make out most of the details due to the darkness.

"Oh ho," The man stopped me in my tracks. "What are you doing out here, my old friend?"

"…Do I know you?"

The man opened his book, his eyes scanning the page for information. "Ah, according to this book, you are still suffering from slight memory loss... My bad."

He seems suspicious.

"Who are you exactly?"

"My name is Woz, loyal servant of his majesty, the overlord." He answers. "According to this book… Soon, you shall come face to face with my king – a meeting that will not end well for you."

"What…"

"My apologies, but that's all the time we have for now."

"Hey, wait!"

I blink, and the second I open my eyes, he's gone.

Just who was that guy…?

* * *

" _A meeting that will not end well for you."_

His words continue to linger in my mind even as I finish my breakfast.

"Nora, I don't think sloths make a lot of noise."

"That's why it's perfect! No one will suspect we're working together!"

In the corner of my eye, I see the couple again. A man in green clothes and a short, ginger-haired girl wearing a pink/white dress—

If I had to describe their relationship, from what I've seen, it would be "harassment" with the man on the receiving end.

Seriously, the girl has been annoying him with pointless stuff ever since I got here – no, even earlier, ever since I _woke up_.

I'm glad I'm not him, at least.

I chug down the glass of milk, and with my breakfast finished…

I guess I should go to where they store the lockers.

* * *

I open my assigned locker, finding my briefcase inside.

Just to be safe, I peek at its contents a bit—

I see the Driver and the watch, so I'm good.

I take it with me and slam the doors shut.

Alright, with that done—

Ruby and Yang seems to be in the middle of a conversation as I approach them.

"Mornin', you two."

"Hey there, Geiz! Ruby here seems awfully chipper this morning." Yang pointed at her little sister.

"Yep! No more awkward small talk or getting-to-know-you stuff." Ruby said, stroking her weapon in her arms. "Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking."

She sighs happily, holding her magical gun-death-scythe like a new-born human baby.

"Well, remember Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you want to grow up, you're going to have to meet new people and learn to work together."

"Oh, you sound like Dad!" Ruby yells. "First of all, what does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly, I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink _milk_!"

Ruby crosses her arms triumphantly, saying such a thing with a huge amount of confidence.

"But what about when we form teams?" Yang asks.

"Um, I don't know, I-I'll be on your team or something… Geiz's works too, I guess."

"Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?" Yang suggests, stroking her hair while doing so.

"My dearest sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"

"What? No! Of course I do, I just thought…" Yang gestures to me, requesting for backup, to which I just shrug. "I don't know, maybe it would help you… Break out of your shell!"

"What?! I don't need to "break out of my shell"! That's absolutely ridiculous!" Ruby turns to me. "Right, Geiz?!"

"No comment." I say flatly.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

" _Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."_ Glynda's voice echoed from the speakers.

I turn around to see Jaune on the ground, bound to the wall by a spear that impaled his clothes.

"Holy crap, what happened to poor Jaune over there?" I change the subject.

"It was nice meeting you!" The red-haired girl from before removes the spear as she leaves the room.

"Likewise…" Jaune sighs, slumping against the locker.

"Having some trouble there, lady-killer?" Yang rubs the salt in his wounds as we approach him.

Jaune puts his face in his hands. "I don't understand. My dad said all women look for is confidence! Where did I go wrong?"

"Snow Angel probably wasn't the best start." Yang told him as she leaves.

Snow Angel?

Ah, probably something Jaune used to flirt with Weiss.

I felt bad, so I extended my hand to Jaune.

"Come on, young man, we've got an initiation to attend."

Ruby walks out next, and I follow behind, carrying Jaune and what's left of his self-confidence.

"So what made you think she was into me?" Jaune whispered to me as we made our way to the cliffside.

"Uh, I don't know… The fact that she kept staring at you the whole time, maybe?"

"Maybe because I look like such a goof—"

"Okay, shut it, save the self-deprecation for later."

* * *

We arrive at Beacon Cliff – a cliffside overlooking a dense forest.

There are silver plates stationed on the ground, which all the students are standing on.

Except me.

I couldn't find an empty one. Everyone got to them first.

Well, I guess I'll fail the test—

…

Glynda gestures at me to stand beside her, filling me with hope, and so I do what she says.

Ozpin walks forward, and starts speaking.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Next, it was Glynda's turn. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams – Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…" She pauses, adding a bit of suspense. "…today."

"What? Aw…"

Ruby sighs.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin takes a sip of his coffee, as Ruby groans in the background. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"Whaaaat?!" Ruby screams, shocked.

Ozpin ignores her, and continues. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you _will_ die."

What.

What the _fuck_ kind of Headmaster is Ozpin?

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune raises his hand. "Yeah, um, sir?"

"Good! Now take your positions." Ozpin completely ignored him… harsh. "Oh, and due to the odd numbers of students present, and since he was the last student to be accepted into Beacon, your friend Geiz here will participate in a different initiation test by himself."

Oh boy.

Eh, I should've known it wouldn't be that easy.

"Uh, sir, I've got um, a question. You're like, dropping us off, or something?" Jaune asks, as his friends start getting catapulted to the sky one by one.

"No, you will be falling." Ozpin calmly answered.

"Oh. So like, did you hand out parachutes to us?"

"No. You will be using your own landing strategy."

"Uh huh. So um, what exactly is a landing strategy—"

…Jaune was catapulted before he could even finish his question. Unlike the others, who soar through the sky gracefully, he just swings his limbs and fumbles through the air like a baby bird who just learned how to fly.

"…So you enjoy this sort of thing, don't you?"

He smirks, taking another sip of his coffee, enjoying the thrill that is "putting his students in grave danger".

What a sicko.

"Alright, so what you got for me, Ozpin buddy?"

"Oh, right." Ozpin hands me a tablet-like device, with multiple footages playing simultaneously on it. "That is a Scroll – your first task is observation."

"Excuse me?"

"Observe. You've never fought a Grimm before, have you?"

"I… believe not." I answer. What's a Grimm again?

"Exactly." Ozpin then takes another sip, "I believe you've already received enough training before you came here."

…Yeah, I remember going through training, but I'm not sure for what.

"Which is why I want you to just sit here. Observe how a Huntsman or a Huntress does things, and how they fight back against the Creatures of Grimm. Maybe learn from them."

"…Alright, understood. What about my grades, though? Or my team?"

Ozpin shrugs. "Eh, I'll take care of it, don't worry."

This guy…

* * *

I think around… 20 minutes? Half an hour? has passed.

In that amount of time…

The red-haired girl – apparently named Pyrrha – has saved Jaune from falling to his death, resulting in them partnering up.

Ruby partnered up with Weiss, I feel bad for her.

Yang punched some bears to death, and after doing something so awesome she partnered up with Blake.

The man in green, Lie Ren, has just kung-fu'd a giant snake to death before partnering up with Nora, the girl who constantly harasses him.

I don't know what kind of lesson I'm supposed to take from this, other than "Holy shit, my friends are all a bunch of badasses".

* * *

A few more minutes have passed.

It was all a blur, but…

Everything went down the shitter.

Jaune got thrown 50 feet into the sky by a giant scorpion, Ruby and Weiss are stuck on a giant bird, Nora and Ren are riding a giant monster bear—

Okay, that last one is cool, I'll admit that.

"Hey, you sure they're gonna be okay?"

"Maybe…" Ozpin takes a sip of his coffee that he just refilled, "Maybe not."

"Seriously?" I ask. "Even if one of your students were near-death you still wouldn't interfere?"

"Nope."

This guy doesn't take his job as Headmaster very seriously, does he?

I turn back to my tablet – er, Scroll – to find Ruby has jumped off and abandoned her partner.

Okay, this is getting dumb.

I'm done thinking about it.

Two of my friends have been thrown off the sky by giant monsters, and I can't just sit here and do nothing but watch, after all.

"Hey, Professor Ozpin," I gesture to one of the silver, pressure-plate catapults, whatever they're called, "Those still work, right?"

"Yes, they should still be functional," Ozpin grins, sensing what I'm about to do. "Go ahead and use it, if you wish."

* * *

I grab the Driver from by briefcase, and equip it on my waist. Of course, I take the Ridewatch too as well.

"Alright—"

I take a few deep breaths.

Before I could fully prepare myself, the pressure plate activated on its own, the momentum launching me high into the sky—

"WHOA, HEY!"

Crap, maybe transforming mid-air will break my fall?!

I can't think straight right now, but I gotta try-!

I press the button on my watch, causing it to announce its name.

 **[GATES]**

In a panic, though, instead of inserting the watch into my belt, I pressed it not once more, but twice—

 **[TIME MAZINE]**

My red-colored vehicle, the Time Mazine, appears out of nowhere and catches me before I could hit the ground.

And by catch, I meant, "I fell inside and crashed on the cockpit".

Way to go, me.

After reorienting myself and regaining my balance, I speed off towards the northern end of the forest.

…

I arrive in just a matter of seconds…

It feels like I'm cheating, but only a bit.

From up here, I can see Pyrrha being chased by the giant scorpion, and a giant bird flying in the distance, about to swoop in on the ground—

Oh right, if I remember correctly…

I input some commands into the screen, causing the "CHANGE MODE" button to show up.

Alright, here I go-!

I pull the steering handles all the way to the back, causing the screen to light up green, after which I let go.

"Robo Mode!"

The Time Mazine changes appearance – instead of a weird, futuristic giant speeder, it now looks like a giant humanoid robot, albeit a little bit on the bulky side.

With the Robo Mode activated, the Time Mazine then thrusts forward, delivering a punch that causes the giant bird to crash into the forest.

Holy crap, that was awesome.

I then land near the group, before hopping out of the cockpit.

I fail to nail the landing though, and stumble a bit once my feet hit the ground.

"Sup." I try to regain my balance, leaning my hand against the Time Mazine. "K-Kept you waiting, huh?"

"Ohmygosh!" Ruby's eyes sparkled, and she immediately approached me—er, my robot to be more precise. "You had a giant robot?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Is this the weapon that you told me about—"

"Okay, okay, calm down, questions later!" I restrain Ruby from probing the robot any further. "I believe we have an objective to accomplish…?"

"He's right. There's no sense in dilly-dallying." Weiss motioned to the temple, where chess pieces have been placed inside it, atop pillars of rocks. "Our objective is right in front of us."

"Right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."

I have a feeling that these guys will still do it anyway, for no reason other than to look cool.

"Run and live – that's an idea I can get behind" Jaune said.

I don't think I need to pick a relic anyway, since I'm not a part of this test, but…

Eh, it wouldn't hurt.

…

On the ground, I find a grey-colored pawn. Compared to everyone's gold and black chesspieces, this one looks a bit out of place.

Whatever, I guess this will work as my relic.

"Time we left!" Ren shouted to everyone, and I took that as my signal to run back to my giant robot.

"Let's go!" Ruby waves to the others. They start running forward, except Yang, who seems to be staring proudly at her sister.

* * *

The group runs ahead, heading to a series of abandoned structures made from stone. I follow behind from above.

After a rumble mid-air with me, the giant monster bird retreats and dives into the direction of Ruby and the others. It crashes into the structure, destroying it, but the girls manage to reach the higher bridge on the top just below the cliff.

On the other side of the area is Jaune and his group, fighting against the giant scorpion. I don't think they're having that much problem though, so I fly over to Ruby's direction instead.

...

From below, Ruby waves, beckoning me to come closer.

She gestures to the cliff, then to the giant bird, then hits her fist against an open palm.

…Yeah, I think I get the gist of what she's saying.

I fly the Time Mazine to the direction of the bird, grabbing its wings from behind. With all the force the machine can muster, I then pin the bird against the cliff, using the robot's arms to restrict its movements.

Ice starts to form around the tip of the bird's tail, chaining it to the rocks. I take that as my time to let go, and so I back off.

I press a button on the screen, causing the cockpit's hatch to open, letting the air blow past my face.

I pull out my watch, twisting the dial down. With that done, I press the top button using my index finger, causing the watch to announce its name.

 **[GATES]**

I insert the watch on the right side of the driver. The sound of a ticking clock started to play around me.

A big, energy structure resembling a digital clock materialized behind me, spinning to the tune of the clock's ticking.

I slam the button on top of the Driver, causing it to dislodge and turn counterclockwise a few degrees.

"Henshin."

With that call, I push the Driver down with my right hand, causing it to spin even further until it eventually reaches its original position.

The sound of a bell rung out, followed by a short, electronic jingle—

 **[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ GATES!]**

Bands that looked like watch straps appeared, circling around my body as it formed the base of my armor. As they disappear, three big, yellow _hiragana_ characters flew into my helmet, forming the word "Rider".

I stretch out my hand, and a red, holographic digital clock flew out from my Driver before materializing as a weapon.

 **[ZIKAN Z-AX]**

 **[OH NO,** _ **AN AXE**_ **!]**

The red, mechanical axe appeared in my hand, and I waste no time. I remove the watch from my Driver and insert it on my weapon.

 **[FINISH TIME!]**

Now to wait for the right moment…

Meanwhile, it appears that Ruby is on some sort of makeshift catapult made from Blake's weapon, held in place on the other side by Yang.

In an instant, Ruby is sent flying towards the bird, thanks to the tension from Blake's weapon and Weiss' magic circle.

Her scythe catches the bird's neck in its blade, causing them both to hit the cliff wall. A series of white circles appear up the wall, creating a path for Ruby to dash through.

Ruby continues to run up the cliff, dragging the bird's helpless body behind her.

As she reached the top, she leaps up, launching herself into the air.

"Now!"

I jump on the Time Mazine's fist, and it makes a throwing motion, launching me into Ruby's direction.

 **[GATES! ROUGH CUTTING!]**

"Haaah!"

Landing on the bird, I ready my weapon, the size of its energy blade increasing as I swing it upwards. Eventually, it reaches a size big enough to cut the giant bird's body in half, causing an explosion of black feathers that rain down around us.

And for added overkill, Ruby even went as far as decapitating the bird's head right before the explosion. Talk about cold.

Jumping off the bird's carcass, I land into a roll on the cliff, with Ruby following in suite.

We turn around, taking in the view, even if it's ruined by all the black feathers and the very real disembodied bird head not far from us.

"Well, that was… certainly a thing." I remarked, the rush still getting to my head. "Though when I think about it, my help was pretty unnecessary—"

"What are you talking about?!" Ruby shook my shoulders, an excited look on her face. "That giant robot was so cool! And this armor you're wearing! And that weird looking, but still cool ax! I can't believe you kept everything a secret from me all this time!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Calm down! Stop shaking me so much, I'm going to fall off the cliff at this rate!"

* * *

 **A/N: Here's Chapter 2! With the obligatory initiation chapter done, we can finally move on to the more interesting stuff next time.**

 **I originally wanted this to last even longer, up to the point where Geiz meets up with the next Legend – but I decided to split it into two instead. It would've dragged on for far too long otherwise!**

 **Onto replies!**

 **Night Rogue: Ahaha, yes, I'm quite aware of that – I watch the show too, you know. I know the official name is Kamen Rider Geiz, but there's a reason why I'm using "Gates" which will be explained later on. Honestly though, I agree with you – "Geiz" does look and sound cooler than "Gates".**

 **And to the others, thank you so much for your support! I honestly didn't think that I would receive this much, haha.**

 **With that said, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and thank you for making it all the way to the end.**

 **Reviews of all kinds are appreciated, so please leave one and have a nice day!**

* * *

 **Next up:**

" **Kamen Rider Fourze! Let's settle this mano-a-mano!"**

" **So you're the demon king…"**

 **[ARMOR TIME!『Gabu!』KIVA!]**

" **Kamen Rider Zi-O… Kiva Armor."**


	3. Class, Aura, Falling Star, Demon King

Left idle, the Time Mazine automatically switched back to vehicle mode and left – opening a portal then disappearing.

Huh.

"Guess that piece of junk wasn't so broken after all…" I say, watching my vehicle vanish into nothing.

"That's a sexy piece of junk." Ruby said, staring at the direction where the Time Mazine was.

"Thanks…?" I looked oddly at her. "That was a compliment, right?"

She laughed it off, turning her head away. "Nice view, don't you think?"

"I mean, yeah." The view certainly is nice, except for one fact— "If not for all these feathers and that very real, giant, decapitated bird head just a few feet away from us."

"What are you talking about? Those things _enhance_ the experience!" Ruby grabbed me by the shoulders, and took out a small, rectangular device not unlike a smartphone. "Times like this call for a selfie!"

"Wait, you can do that?!"

"Yep!"

* * *

The audience laughed as Pyrrha shoulder bumped her newly-appointed team leader Jaune Arc to the ground.

Team JNPR walked off stage, with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang taking their place on stage.

"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long… The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY – Led by Ruby Rose."

Leading a team named after her?

Lucky.

I clapped at my friend's newly-formed team, as Yang crushed Ruby in yet another bear hug.

The four left the stage, and Ozpin continued speaking.

Well, I guess I'm not getting a team—

"And finally, would Geiz come on stage?"

Spoke too soon.

…

I awkwardly stand on stage, no one by my side but Ozpin.

"Due to the… odd number of students this year, you couldn't find a partner. That is why you had to undergo the observation test, which you passed with flying colors by jumping into rescue for the sake of your friends—"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold it right there." I interrupted Ozpin, which in hindsight I shouldn't have done, but screw it I'm too deep into the rabbit hole. "To pass the observation test, you to have to… _not_ observe and jump straight into the action?"

"Why, yes." Ozpin answered as-a-matter-of-factly. "The test was designed to hone your situational awareness skills – knowing when to fight, and when to not."

You came up with that on the spot, didn't you?!

Ozpin clears his throat. "Back to the point. Where was I? Ah, right. Due to such… circumstances, for passing the test _and_ bringing an artifact back even if you were not asked to, you will be given a privilege to join a team of your choosing as a fifth member."

A fifth member?

Ah, I suppose that makes sense—

"Now then, which team will you join?"

Right, I still have to do that.

Let's see…

I look at the audience, seeing Ruby jumping up and down while waving her arms in an attempt to get my attention.

…Yeah, I get the gist of what she's trying to say.

"Alright, Team RWBY it is then."

I could hear some of the male students murmuring to themselves – something about how I chose a team full of cute girls on purpose.

But that's not it, I swear.

I just don't have any other friends here.

I mean, Jaune's nice and all, but I barely know the three other members of his team.

It's definitely not to get closer to Blake or anything—

"Would Ruby Rose please come on stage?"

Hearing my answer and Ozpin's request, Ruby rushed to the stage with a wide grin on her face.

"Ruby Rose, will you accept Geiz here to your team?"

"Of course!" Ruby answered almost instantly.

"Well then, welcome to your new team, Geiz." Ozpin said. "It looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year."

"Score! One giant robot for Team RWBY!"

Oh, so that's why she wanted me to join her.

* * *

I walk down the hallway behind my new teammates, carrying a rather large box that Glynda gave to me.

Looking through the different room numbers, I spot the one that I was assigned to, so I stopped walking.

"Ah, found mine." I said, setting down the cardboard box on the floor to grab the key in my pocket.

"What a coincidence, we found ours as well." Blake said, stopping with the rest of the girls in front of the room directly next to mine.

"Our rooms are right next to each other, how convenient!" Ruby stated as she unlocked the door.

I push the door open, seeing the interior of my dorm that is the very definition of "plain". There are four beds, which is pretty odd I'm the only one who will be staying here. I guess it's just the norm for dorms to have enough beds for an entire team.

"Alright, have fun you guys." I say to the girls. "I'm gonna drop my stuff off and spend the night in my lonely dorm of solitude."

"Want me to accompany you?" Yang smirked.

"Very much appreciated, but no thank you."

And with that, I close the door behind me.

I set down the box on one of the beds, and start to unpack it.

…

A bunch of school uniforms, and a device like Ruby's "smartphone" complete with instruction manuals.

Apparently, it's called a "Scroll", just like the tablet device that Ozpin lent me.

Makes sense.

Great, more department-issued equipment I have to take care of.

I plop myself down on the left-most bed, the fatigue from today's activities taking a toll on me.

…Damn it, I still need to change out of my combat uniform.

* * *

"Rise and shine, my old friend."

A familiar voice calls out from across the room as I get out of bed, my eyes still trying to adjust themselves.

"…You again?" I turn to the source of the voice, the mysterious man from two nights ago sitting on the right-most bed. "Actually, no, how did you even get in here—"

"Your meeting with my king is at hand." The man stands up, placing a pair of black, brace-like things on the opposite bed. "Please, take this. You will need it."

"And those are…?"

"A pair of Ridewatch Holders."

"…So to hold Ridewatches—"

"Precisely." The man starts walking to the door, book in hand. "I'm afraid that is all the time we have for this morning."

"Hey, wait!"

I get up to chase after him, but the alarm I set on my Scroll suddenly rang out again, catching my attention.

When I turned back to look at the door, the man had already disappeared.

Poof.

Just what's up with that guy, anyway…? What's his deal?

Who's this king he always speaks of?

I wish he would stop being so vague and cryptic every time.

But more importantly…

Yeah, I wish he would stop breaking into my room.

* * *

It's currently 6 AM, and classes start at 9.

I figured I should head to the library or something, to obtain information about what this world is like.

And hopefully, I'll find something that can jog my memories back while I'm at it.

…

The library is goddamn massive.

Waaay bigger than I expected.

Tall, towering bookshelves are lined up on each side of the room like dominos.

In the center of the room, between the bookcases, are two rows of tables and chairs for students to sit on.

Still, this place makes me feel like I'm tiny.

It took me a while to find the book I needed – a simple history book. I guess there's no harm in starting with the basics if you don't know where to start in the first place.

I start walking to the lounge, where the tables and chairs are located. It's really quiet here, which I find calming.

It's so early in the morning, so I guess it's no surprise that there's no one here but—

Oh wait, is that…?

"Blake?"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's Blake, sitting by the corner with a book in her hands.

"Oh." Blake shifted her attention to me, then back to the book again, "Hey."

"Oof. Up so early?" I sat on the seat across hers, flipping open the pages of my own book.

"I could say the same to you." Blake retorted, not averting her gaze.

"Ehh, I'm just used to waking up early."

An awkward silence hangs in the air, as we both invest ourselves in our books.

Eventually, I can't bear with it anymore, and I decide to start up a conversation—

"So what are you reading?"

"The same book that you three interrupted me from reading just before the initiation."

"Yeah, I still feel kinda bad about that. Sorry."

"Don't be. At least I made some friends out of it." She smiled, looking at the book I'm trying to read. "…You like history?"

"…Not particularly. I find the possibilities of the future much more exciting. I guess learning from history is important too, though." I lean back against the chair, my head looking up at the roof. "So we don't repeat past mistakes, and improve upon our previous accomplishments."

She smirked. "Heh. Sounds like you do like history."

"Okay, you got me there."

We laughed, then promptly went back to our books.

A few paragraphs later, I stumbled upon an unfamiliar word—

"…The hell's an aura?" I whispered under my breath, questioning no one in particular—

Blake instantly perks up, somehow hearing me. "You don't know what aura is?"

"…No?"

"How did you even get accepted into Beacon?"

"Er… Do you want the long version or the short version?" Blake glared at me, suspicion in her eyes. "…Okay, short version it is then. I stopped a bank robbery with Ruby and Ozpin and Glynda heard about it."

She seemed to believe that, and I _exhale a breath of relief._

"Unbelievable. That man really does whatever he wants."

"I know, right?! I'm convinced he even came up with that "observation test" I had to go through on the spot!"

She chuckles. "Alright, back to the topic of aura…"

…

So, the gist of it…

Aura is the manifestation of the soul, and can be used for a wide variety of purposes – from something as simple to powering a weapon, to physical protection and even healing.

There's a lot of philosophical babble behind it too, and apparently one's use of aura differs wildly from another. This is called a "Semblance", and I can only describe it as "a personal superpower unique to each person".

How cool.

Well, I guess that explains how almost everyone here can fight giant monsters without thick, protective armor, or how Ruby can turn to rose petals and come out of an explosion completely unscathed.

…A manifestation of one's "soul", huh.

I wonder if I have that sort of thing too. I'm not of this world, so maybe the law or whatever doesn't apply to me.

I guess there's only one way to find out.

Blake said other people can awaken your aura if you haven't awakened yours yet, in which case—

"Okay… This is probably a really weird favor, but can you awaken mine?"

…Ah shit, now that I think about it, I shouldn't have said that.

What if the awakening of auras are something sacred, only done by two people who—

Blake looked at me weirdly, but then nodded. "…Sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've never done it before, though. I might as well give it a shot." She gets out of her seat, then beckons me to stand in front of her, to which I comply.

"R-Right. It's my first time too. Be gentle."

"Stop that, what if people get the wrong idea?!"

She sighs, and holds my face in her hand.

The sudden movement caught me offguard…

We're going straight to first base already?! At least take me to dinner first—

"Close your eyes and concentrate."

O-Okay…

That's kinda vague, what am I supposed to concentrate on?

I do what she says anyway.

 **"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."**

A sudden flood of power jolted my eyes open.

"Whoah, this… energy… I feel power surging through my body."

My body is… I dunno, I feel some sort of outer layer around it, and glowing too, with maroon-colored energy…

Blake stumbles back a bit, regaining her balance before taking a good look at me. "Wow, that was more… tiring than I expected. I think I'm going to go sleep for another hour. I'll see you in class, Geiz."

"R-Right. Sorry to be a bother."

She starts to walk away, but stops after a few steps.

"That's quite an impressive amount, by the way." Blake turns to me, smiling. "The amount of aura that you have, I mean."

And with that, she leaves.

* * *

I arrived to class too early, it seems…

Bored out of my mind, I decide to start fiddling with my watch, turning the dial back and forth.

Well, I guess it's called a Ridewatch, huh.

I have no idea how this thing works.

…I guess, like most devices that the Kamen Riders use, the reasoning that "IT JUST WORKS" is applicable here as well.

It's true for the Driver, too…

What's up with the watch or clock theme, anyway?

…

A lot more students have arrived by now, filling up the classroom.

It's nearly 9:55…

My team – and Jaune's team, as well – is nowhere in sight. What the hell are they doing?

Did they oversleep?

Did Blake get too tired after awakening my aura?

Dammit, now I feel bad. I shouldn't have asked her so early in the morning—

The door suddenly bursts open, even though it was already half-open in the first place anyway.

"Sorry, we're late!"

Ruby dashes into the room, the rest of her team and JNPR in tow.

"Calm down, the teacher is not even here yet." I tell them.

"Oh thank goodness," Weiss breathes a sigh of relief. "I can't even imagine being late on the first day."

But that's what you almost did.

* * *

Grimm Studies is our first class, taught by someone named Professor Port. He's a bit on the old side, slightly overweight, with gray hair and also a gray mustache that looks kinda massive. I mean, like, I think it's as big as his forehead, or even bigger.

But honestly though, this guy—

"But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man." The professor said. "ME!"

—is so full of himself!

Come on, we're supposed to learn about Grimm here, not what you did when you were five!

I was looking forward to this, dammit!

…

Most of the students aren't even listening to him. Some are sleeping, some are just staring blankly at his direction… Ruby is busy drawing funny pictures that resemble the professor, and she keeps excitedly showing each new one to me and Yang.

Ah, right, I'm sitting in the same row as them, on the right-most side—

Professor Port bows, finally ending his story.

Oh thank god.

"The moral of the story? A true huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

You know, his voice must be blessed by a siren or a mermaid or something.

Why?

Because it's really good at putting people to sleep.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these—"

I yawn and raise my arm up, stretching in an attempt to get rid of the tiredness—

"Ah, the eager young man over there who raised his arm before I could even finish speaking!" The professor pointed at me, causing everyone to turn to my direction, much to my confusion. "Very well then, let us see your might."

Ah…

It took me a few seconds to realize what I just did.

"Step forward and face your opponent."

The professor gestures to a cage beside him… Whatever is inside, it's growling and presumably angry.

"Good grief…" I sigh, putting on the Driver. I was about to stand up, but Ruby grabbed me by the sleeve and leaned to my ear—

"That thing's a Boarbatusk, I saw its head peeking out from the cage earlier!" She whispered. "Go for its belly!"

She gave me a thumbs up, then pushed me to the front.

"T-thanks, I guess."

* * *

I stand in front of the class, facing the cage.

Taking a deep breathe, I start to concentrate—

I feel the protective layer of energy form around me, and I'm all set.

I wonder if I need to transform…?

It doesn't seem _that_ big, so maybe I wouldn't need to do that…

I guess I'll summon my weapon, just in case.

 **[ZIKAN Z-AX]**

The red weapon materialized itself in the air, which I catch in my hand.

 **[OH NO,** ** _AN AX_** **!]**

The weapon's announcement got me a few weird looks and chatter from the other students.

Shut up, it's not my fault that it's like this.

"Go Geiz!" Yang cheers.

Blake waved around a small flag, with our colors on it. "Fight well!"

"Yeah, represent teeeam RWBY!" Ruby added, then turned to the others. "Wait, should our team still be called RWBY since Geiz is—"

Hey, we can think about that later!

"Alright, let's get this over with already."

The professor nods, lifting up his weird, blunderbass/axe combo of a weapon. "Very well. Let the match… begin!"

And with that, he brings down his weapon, cutting the lock open.

Immediately, a black creature rushes out and charges at me. I barely manage to dodge, by jumping over it and using it as a jumping point to go its opposite direction even further.

"Haha!" Professor Port laughs, witnessing the spectacle. "Wasn't expecting that, were you?"

This guy…!

Ah, whatever.

I turn my attention at the opponent before me—

True to its name, it's basically… a big boar with tusks. It stands on four legs, with black hair covering its body. Various parts of its body are covered in white, bone-like armor, the most prominent being the "mask" on its face that reveals its glowing orange eyes. It has two sets of tusks, one small, and the other one being a pair of large curved ones with red lines on it.

The belly, huh…

It's going to be hard to hit that spot since it's underneath.

 _But then again, it doesn't seem very bright…_

The creature strikes a stance, preparing another charge.

 _…which I can use to my advantage!_

The Grimm breaks off into a sprint, its tusks reared at me.

Just exactly what I wanted.

Right before the Grimm can hit me, I roll to the left and swing the blunt side of my ax at its legs, tripping it.

The Boarbatusk loses its balance and falls forward on its back, exposing the belly area.

Alright, now to take it down before it gets back up—

I flip down the blade of the ax, turning my weapon to its ranged mode.

 **[YOU** ** _BOW_** ** _TO_** **ME!]**

Just like before, the weird announcement got me weird looks from my fellow students.

Again, it's not my fault that this weapon says weird stuff!

I quickly aim my weapon and fire an energy bolt at the boar's belly, causing it to cease its struggling and fall limp.

Phew, that was actually scarier than I thought it would be.

"Bravo!" Professor Port exclaims as he starts clapping. "You took it down faster than I expected. Ladies and gentlemen, it appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntsman in training. But I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

…

Oh crap, there were assigned readings?!

* * *

…It's now lunch break, which means it's time to get food.

The dining hall is massive, with furniture lined up along a cloister-like hall. There are four long tables, running the length of the hall with equally long benches on each side, and some empty space located in-between for walking.

The food is pretty simple, honestly, and like most free lunches – bland.

I place down my tray – containing a single sandwich, some fruits, some chicken, and a box of juice – and sit across Ruby.

"So," Yang said, breaking the silence. "How's first day of school so far?"

"Could be better." Weiss snidely remarked, idly playing with her food.

"I hope the next class isn't as bad as Professor Port." Blake chimed in, before starting to dig in.

I chuckled. "I don't think you can get _any_ worse than him at teaching, honestly."

"Oh, right!" Ruby slammed down her boxed juice on the table, catching our attention. "Before I forget, I'd like to bring up the subject of our team's name. With Geiz here, we can't just be Team RWBY—"

A sudden scream is heard, interrupting Ruby.

Immediately, most of the students have started running, rushing for the exit—

"What's going on?!"

"It's like everyone's running from… something," Blake stood up, surveying the area.

I equip my Driver, and quickly get out of my seat.

Behind the group of students, I see it – A humanoid monster, sporting white armor with orange lines running across its torso. It has a devilish face, two large, red eyes with something like bat wings sprouting from the side of its head. On the center of its forehead is a green gem, and three white spikes adorning the top of its head.

On its waist is… something resembling a Driver, colored blue with four, black "buttons" on it.

"What the hell is that monster? A Grimm?!" Said Yang.

"I don't know, but we can't let it harm anymore people!" Ruby reaches to her back, grabbing Crescent Rose.

"This is bad…" I said. "Do you guys have your weapons with you?"

Ruby nodded, unfolding her large scythe. The other three shook their heads.

"We had to put them in the lockers!" Weiss said. "Except Ruby and you here, it seems!"

"Ehehe…" Ruby laughed nervously. "You guys go get yours ASAP, we'll occupy it in the meantime!"

They nodded, and ran for the exit.

I pull out my Ridewatch and quickly activate it—

 **[GATES]**

I insert it to the right side of the Driver, causing the non-existent clock to start ticking around me.

A big, energy structure like a digital clock formed behind my body, spinning in tune to the clock.

I slam the button on top of the Driver, dislodging it and causing it to turn counterclockwise a few degrees—

"Henshin!"

I push the Driver down with my right hand, causing it to spin even further, eventually stopping as it reaches its original position—

The sound of a bell rung out, immediately followed by a short electronic jingle—

 **[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ GATES!]**

Bands that looked like watchstraps formed around me, circling around as the base of my armor materialized. As they disappear, three big, yellow _hiragana_ characters flew into my helmet, forming the word "Rider".

"Whoaaaaaaa~!" Ruby yelled in excitement after witnessing my transformation. "That was so cool! That short auto-tuned song was really catchy! How does it work?! What are those yellow things—"

"I'll explain later, we have something gravely important to take care of!" I pointed at the monster, before charging at its direction.

"Ah, you're right, I forgot about that for a second."

Ruby fires her sniper rifle, using the recoil of the shot to launch herself forward ahead of me. She swings her scythe, but the monster propels itself back somehow, narrowly avoiding the attack. It raises its left arm, and in that moment—

 **[ShiELD oN]**

A shield materialized on its left arm, which it subsequently used to parry more of Ruby's incoming attacks. With some distance between them, it then raises its left arm again—

 **[GyRO oN]**

…Something resembling a helicopter blade appeared, replacing the shield and covering its left hand. The monster then flew up, and extended its right leg—

 **[LaUnChER oN]**

Another armament appeared, this time covering its leg from the knee down with a blue, box-y thing that seems to contain projectiles on the side…

Wait, isn't that a bad thing?!

"Geez, how many weapons does that guy have?" Frustrated, Ruby changed her weapon to its sniper mode. "Forty?"

"Beats me! But get ready!"

 **[YOU** _ **BOW TO**_ **ME!]**

As soon as I finish, the monster began to fire white, missile-like objects from its leg-mounted launcher at us.

"Shoot 'em down!" I shout, firing my weapon at a missile just before it could land near an unconscious student.

"Right!" Ruby shoots down a few more with her gun, before changing to a swirling mass of rose petals – her Semblance – to grab another knocked out student out of harm's way from a projectile that we missed.

She lands behind me, dropping the girl she just saved gently on the ground. "We can't risk hurting the others even further… We need to take this outside, Geiz!"

"You're right…" I take a look around, noticing the large windows that lead outside. "Get it near the windows, I have a plan!"

Ruby nods, firing a few shots at the monster to get its attention before launching herself at it.

I press the small grey button on my weapon, just above the crossbow trigger—

 **[TIME CHARGE]**

 **[FIVE… FOUR…]**

I ready my weapon, my eyes locked on the target who's busy with Ruby's endless flurry of attacks. Her scythe swings wildly, overwhelming the monster and forcing it back near the glass.

 **[THREE… TWO... ONE…]**

 **[ZERO TIME!]**

As the cluster of energy forming at the barrel of my weapon reaches its maximum point, I press on the trigger, shooting forth a big energy bolt straight at the humanoid monster.

Ruby steps back just in time, as the impact of the shot sends the monster flying through the window.

* * *

Ruby and I follow the monster outside, finding it sprawled on the ground with its left arm raised—

"Ah, not again!" Ruby yelled in frustration.

 **[MeDicAl oN]**

A yellow-ish compartment appears on its arm, opening to reveal a set of… syringes? One of them falls off of the box, stabbing itself into the monster's body.

The monster glowed with bright energy, and immediately jumped back on its feet, its eyes staring at us.

Just as it prepared to run straight at us, three beams of ice shot out from the sky, causing the monster to cease its movements.

"Kept ya waiting, huh?" Yang jumped down – from god knows where – striking a superhero landing with a super satisfied smirk on her face. "Nailed it."

"Sorry, that took longer than expected!" Weiss ran in, stopping besides Ruby. "…What the _heck_ is that?"

"That's not a Grimm… Is it?" Blake asked, eyeing the monster.

"It's not, but it's strong." Ruby said. "Listen, that thing's got like, forty weapons at least and we need to stop it from using any more if we want to win. Weiss, can you maybe trap it with your glyphs? You know, freeze it and stuff?"

Weiss hesitated for a moment, but then reluctantly nodded. "…I can try, but I'll need time—"

Ruby smiled. "Good! Yang, Geiz, you help me distract it while Weiss prepares! Blake, you cover her!"

We all nod at Ruby's orders, and move to take our positions. Weiss strikes a stance, charging her glyphs, while Yang rushes in at the enemy, followed by Ruby.

 **[TIME CHARGE]**

I move slightly closer to the two, finding a safe spot where I can wait for the chance to fire a shot.

 **[RoCkET oN]**

An orange rocket replaced the monster's right arm, launching it high into the sky and barely avoiding a punch from Yang. It makes a loop in the sky, before changing its direction downwards in an attempt to ram Yang with the rocket—

Now's the time…!

 **[ZERO TIME!]**

I fire another charged shot, hitting the monster point blank as it soars through the sky. The rocket on its arm disappears as it crashes into the ground, rolling to an eventual halt.

Unrelenting, it recovers so soon after the fall, getting back up slowly—

"Now, Weiss!" Ruby commands.

A big, blue magic circle – Weiss's Glyph – appeared on the ground beneath the monster. Shards of ice started to form, spreading from the circle to the monster's body, eventually covering enough to prevent it from moving.

With the monster trapped, Ruby promptly fires a shot and lunges forward, firing some shots mid-air before stabbing her scythe into the ground, using it as a leverage point to deliver a wide, arcing slash.

Yang doesn't waste this opportunity either, dashing towards the monster and unleashing a rush of shotgun-powered punches, strong enough to form cracks in the ice. With a cry, she ends it with a final uppercut, sending the monster flying into the sky.

Taking that as my cue, I aim my weapon upwards, but not before inserting the Ridewatch into it—

 **[FINISH TIME!]**

 **[GATES! BRINK SHOOTING!]**

The energy arrow strikes the monster right in the chest, causing it to explode into flames mid-air like fireworks.

"We did it!" Ruby cheered, right before collapsing on the ground due to exhaustion.

"You know," Weiss approached Ruby, extending her hand out to the team leader. "I guess you aren't such a bad leader after all."

"Heehee," Ruby laughed, sheepishly scratching the side of her cheek. She took Weiss's hand, getting back on her feet.

"So…" Yang said, looking into the sky. "Where the hell did that thing go?

…Yang's right.

The fire and smoke have cleared by now, but there are no traces of the monster left anywhere.

It's as if the monster simply just… vanished?

Something's not right—

"Yang, above you!" Blake shouted, a panicked look on her face.

Above Yang, the monster we just defeated seemed to just phase into existence, the image of its body distorting until it eventually becomes clear—

 **[METEOR! LIMIT BREAK!]**

A giant, blue orb of light shot through the air, colliding with the monster and causing it to explode into flames once again.

The orb landed, its energy disappearing and revealing an armored warrior underneath it. His suit was black, adorned with white dots causing it to resemble stars against the night sky. On his right side is a blue shoulderguard, extending to his torso just above his odd-looking belt. His helmet was colored blue, shaped vaguely like a falling star with a pair of glowing, purple eyes.

"Kamen Rider Meteor. Your fate…" He turned to face us, running his thumb across his helmet. "…has been decided by me."

"Whoaaaaaah! That's so cool!" Ruby exclaimed, admiring the newcomer. "A friend of yours, Geiz?!"

I shake my head.

Kamen Rider… Meteor…?

That's… definitely a name I've heard a bunch of times, but I can't seem to recall where or why.

"Get ready. It'll revive anytime soon." Meteor said. "We just need to buy time until the real deal arrives—"

 **[TIME MAZINE]**

What?!

But I don't recall summoning mine—

A portal opened in the sky, and a vehicle not unlike mine came flying out.

But instead of red, it was black and silver, with some purple accents.

The vehicle stopped, hovering not far from us. The hatch opened, and yet another person in armor is seen—

His armor was… largely similar to mine. Instead of mostly red, his is mostly black, with some silver and purple, just like his vehicle. Running along his chest is something that resembled a watch strap, and on his face there are two clock hands resembling antennae. His visor was colored purple, also spelling out the word "Rider". On his waist is a Driver, exactly the same as mine, but with a different Ridewatch.

He dropped to the ground, sword in hand.

"Another Fourze _and_ the real Kamen Rider Meteor?" He said, slowly walking towards us. "What perfect coincidence!"

"Zi-O…" Meteor said, stepping forward to face the mysterious new challenger. "So you're the demon king they talk about."

"Oh! It seems you already know who I am." This "Zi-O" stopped, sounding a bit surprised. "Well, no matter. First things first, I'll deal with _you_."

That last part wasn't directed at Meteor…

It was directed at me.

He untwisted a black and gold Ridewatch from his Ridewatch Holder, pulling it out to activate it.

 **[KIVA]**

He inserted the Ridewatch into the second slot of his Driver, and without wasting anytime, he quickly spun the Driver—

 **[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ ZI-O! ARMOR TIME!** **『Gabu!』** **KIVA!]**

Chains came jutting out of the ground, wrapping around him as the appearance of his body changed to resemble stained glass. In just a few seconds, the glass shatters, undoing the chains and revealing a new form—

"Kamen Rider Zi-O… Kiva Armor."

* * *

…

The ensuing battle can only be described as "one-sided".

Reeling from the previous attack, I could only watch as Zi-O pressed the buttons on his Ridewatches.

 **[FINISH TIME! KIVA!]**

"Well, you couldn't break the chains of defeat after all… I think."

Blood-red mist appears around Zi-O, followed by a sound similar to a whistle being blown.

As the mist spreads, the sky turns pitch black, a crescent moon rising high in the air to replace the sun.

Reaching for his belt once again, he then presses the button on the top of his Driver, and pushes the Driver downwards, causing it to spin.

 **[WAKE UP! TIME BREAK!]**

The familiar bell noise that played afterwards sounded dreadful this time around.

Zi-O lifts up his right leg – the protective armor on it suddenly breaks off and changes in appearance, now colored red and resembling demonic bat wings with three glowing green gems along it.

"Darkness Moon Break."

He soars up high into the sky, looking as if he was floating right in front of the moon. Mid-air, he changes direction, launching himself towards me with his right foot pointed at me.

 _Shit, this is bad—_

With no energy left to dodge, I stand still, unable to do anything but receive the attack—

"G-Gah!"

The impact of the kick blows me off my feet, but he doesn't stop there – Using the remaining force, he keeps pushing on, causing me to skid along on the ground until we both hit the wall.

At that point, he jumps off, using my body as leverage before landing in front of me.

I could feel the cracks form on the wall behind me as my transformation disengages, unable to take further damage, before I fall to my knees—

"How very disappointing." I look up, only to be greeted with Zi-O staring down at me. "I suppose I should get rid of people like you as fast as possible, but I am in a particularly good mood today, so I'll let you live another day."

With that said, the soon-to-be demon king walks away. I try to get up, but no matter how much I try, my body just refuses to move.

"As expected of my overlord!" Woz's voice rings out, seemingly from nowhere. He then continues his preaching to the people around us, "Rejoice, everyone! For you've personally born witness to Kamen Rider Zi-O's unrivaled power!"

"Kamen… Rider?"

I could make out whispers, people murmuring about themselves. Afterwards, the sound of a thick book slamming to a close, probably signaling Woz's leave.

"Excuse me, move it!"

I hear rapid footsteps approaching, like someone running, immediately followed by the feeling of my shoulders being grabbed.

"Hey, you alright? Hang in there!"

I open my eyes slowly.

Holding me is a man who seems to have a panicked look on his face, but what strikes me the most about him is—

 _His pompadour…_

—My vision then fades into black.

* * *

 **[3 2 1]**

"Henshin!"

"I can't believe this!" Zi-O exclaimed excitedly. "Kamen Rider Fourze, Kamen Rider Meteor, and even Another Fourze all in one place? I must be dreaming!"

The man in white armor didn't seem to mind the praises though.

He bumped his fist against his chest twice, before extending it to the opponent standing before him.

"Kamen Rider Fourze! Let's settle this mano-a-mano!" He challenged. "You'll pay for hurting one of my beloved students!"

* * *

 **A/N: Whew, this took longer than I expected lol.**

 **Review reply!**

 **Rider-04: I probably should've made it clearer but the Geiz in this fic is an OC who just happens to use the same alias. I have "OC" tagged in the fic, so I thought it was obvious enough lol. Anyway I don't see how he's a tsundere at all?**

 **And to the others, thank you so much for your support! What exactly does Kiva Armor do, and how can Gentaro still transform? Please look forward to the next chapter!**

 **With that said, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and thank you for making it to the end.**

 **Reviews of all kinds are appreciated, so please leave one and have a nice day!**

* * *

 **Next up:**

 **[ARMOR TIME!** **『Meteor, Ready?』** **METEOR~!]**

 **[ARMOR TIME!** **『3 2 1』** **FO~URZE!]**

 **"My fate... is mine to decide!"**


	4. Meteor, Youth, Galaxy, Fate

My eyes open, and I jolt right up.

A painful shock runs through my body as I do so, immobilizing me for a moment.

I look down, seeing white bedsheets—

…Yeah, I'm sitting on a bed.

There are multiple beds around me, the color of the bedsheets matching that of the walls.

It's just a hunch, but I think I'm in the nurse office of Beacon.

Nah, just kidding. I _know_ I'm in the nurse office.

But what the hell happened to me…?

* * *

 _Chains came jutting out of the ground, wrapping around Zi-O's body as the appearance of his body changed to resemble stained glass. Besides him, a set of energy rings appeared, and several pieces of armor materialized inside._

 _The pieces of armor strike a battle stance, as if someone was wearing them. They then float and position themselves around Zi-O._

 _As the armors place themselves on various parts of his body, the glass outer layer shattered, undoing the chains and revealing a new form—_

 _Zi-O's chest armor were now dominantly red, with black lines running across it. His shoulderpads were now larger, shaped like each half of a bat, colored gold and black. Chains bind the armor, running through what seems to be the bat's "eye". His helmet now had some red along the top, and the visor says "KIVA" in katakana._

" _Kamen Rider Zi-O… Kiva Armor."_

 _Yang stomped her foot, fed up with everything that's happening. "Okay, what the hell is going on—"_

 _But before she could finish, the white monster from earlier materialized in front of her._

 _She held up her hands in reflex, blocking its attack just in time._

" _Yang!" Ruby gripped her weapon and charged forward, intending to help her sister. Weiss and Yang soon follow._

 _I took a step in their direction, but stopped once I felt my shoulder being grabbed by someone._

" _Whoa there," Zi-O said, somehow now behind me. "Your_ _enemy is right here."_

 _He pushed me forward and brandishes his sword, swinging it upwards. I manage to react in time by blocking the attack with my own weapon, redirecting it._

 _ZI-O…_

 _The name sounds familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it._

" _Who are you?!" I say, aiming my weapon at him. "Actually, no, why are you even attacking me in the first place?"_

" _Well, I suppose I haven't introduced myself to you yet." Zi-O shrugged, lowering his weapon. "I, Kamen Rider Zi-O, have a dream – to become the greatest, most beloved demon king of all time. And you are a nuisance who stands in my way."_

 _He picked up his sword, pointing it to the sky. "Garulu Saber."_

 _A wolf's howl echoed around us, as the sword changed in appearance, now having a crooked blade almost like a scimitar. Blue-colored energy surrounded the blade, leaving a trail as he swings it in the air._

" _Well, guess we can't talk this out then." I raised my weapon and fire an energy bolt, dashing backwards as I do so. Zi-O swings his weapon, intercepting the shot._

 _For a second there, I swear his arm moved at some sort of superhuman speed—_

 _He lowered his stance and then leaps, soaring high in the air and landing behind me. Again, he slashed upwards, and I can do nothing but receive the hit._

 _I stumbled backwards, changing my weapon's mode to melee as I do so. He leaps back, landing in some sort of feral stance as his sword returned to normal. He took the blade in his hand and flipped it down, causing it to look like a gun—_

 _ **[JUU!]**_

" _Bassha Magnum!"_

 _His weapon changed once again, now augmented with green-colored energy. He held it in both hands and aims, before firing several green projectiles at my direction._

 _Tch, how many more tricks does this guy have up his sleeve?!_

 _Fortunately to me though, these projectiles don't move very fast – With a swing of my weapon, I slice them in half before they could reach me, causing them to explode prematurely in the air._

 _With nothing standing in my way, I charged straight ahead at Zi-O, inserting the Ridewatch into my weapon while I'm at it._

 _ **[FINISH TIME!]**_

 _Seeing my actions, Zi-O's head perked up._

" _Oh? Well then, let's go with this." He said, taking out a red and purple Ridewatch that he then inserts into his own weapon. "Dogga Hammer."_

 _Again, the appearance of his weapon changed – the basic shape still seems to be a sword, but there's an outer layer energy covering it that makes it look like a hammer._

 _ **[HIBIKI! FINISH TIME!]**_

 _With that announcement, purple flames burst forth from various parts of his weapon._

… _I have a bad feeling about this…_

…

 _Our attacks collided with one another, but…_

 _The next thing I knew, I was sent flying, landing into a roll on the ground._

 _Not a graceful one, though._

…

 _I felt an intense pain all through my body, as if multiple giant hammers hit me rhythmically multiple times._

 _And due to this, even standing up was a struggle._

 _Barely able to balance myself, I could only watch as Zi-O pressed the buttons on his Ridewatches._

 _ **[FINISH TIME! KIVA!]**_

" _Well, you couldn't break the chains of defeat after all… I think."_

 _Blood-red mist appeared around Zi-O, followed by a sound similar to a whistle being blown._

 _As the mist spread, the sky turned pitch black, a crescent moon rising high in the air to replace the sun._

 _Reaching for his belt once again, he then presses the button on the top of his Driver, and pushes the Driver downwards, causing it to spin._

 _ **[WAKE UP! TIME BREAK!]**_

 _The familiar bell noise that played afterwards sounded dreadful this time around._

 _Zi-O lifted up his right leg – the protective armor on it suddenly breaks off and changes in appearance, now colored red and resembling demonic bat wings with three glowing green gems along it._

" _Darkness Moon Break."_

 _He soared up high into the sky, looking as if he was floating right in front of the moon. Mid-air, he changes direction, launching himself towards me with his right foot pointed forward._

 _Shit, this is bad—_

 _With no energy left to dodge, I stand still, unable to do anything but receive the attack—_

" _G-Gah!"_

 _The impact of the kick blows me off my feet, but he doesn't stop there – Using the remaining force, he keeps pushing on, causing me to skid along on the ground until we both hit the wall._

 _At that point, he jumps off, using my body as leverage before landing in front of me._

 _I could feel the cracks form on the wall behind me as my transformation disengages, unable to take further damage, before I fall to my knees—_

* * *

…Right, that's what happened.

I… lost to that Zi-O guy.

…He was ridiculously strong.

And those Ridewatches he used…

I don't know why, but something in my head tells me those powers don't belong to him.

"The greatest and most beloved demon king", huh.

What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?

Not to mention how contradictory his actions were. He said he wanted to get rid of me, but then let me go instead of finishing me off.

A fact I should be grateful of, but still.

I just can't comprehend his actions at all-

As I continue to try to grasp my ahead around the inner workings of this "demon king", the door suddenly opened, and a man with a very striking pompadour walked in. He's wearing a grey blazer, with a white shirt underneath topped with a simple black and white tie—

"Oh, you're awake!" His eyes lit up, a smile forming on his lips as he sees me. He turns his head to the door, cupping his hands near his mouth and shouting, "Oi, Ryusei! He's up!"

This man…

Right, I saw a glimpse of him, I think.

"Ah… You must be the one who saved me, right?" I asked. "Thank you—"

"Hey, don't sweat it, man!" He pats me on the back – rather strongly, I must say, especially since I'm injured – then sits down on the chair placed next to my bed. "Name's Gentaro Kisaragi. I'm a teacher here at Beacon... and also Kamen Rider Fourze. Well, I _was_ , at least, but you might be more familiar with that name."

Kamen Rider Fourze…

Yes, it is a familiar name, but I don't know why.

Curse my ever-present amnesia.

I raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what do you mean "was"?"

And to that question, he nervously laughed. "Well, you see…"

* * *

 _Fourze rolled along on the ground, his gold-yellow form disengaging due to the hit he received. He punched the ground in frustration before getting up, pulling out yet another Switch and replacing the one he just used._

" _Alright, what about this guy then!" He flicked forward the knob on the red Switch, but nothing happens. Instead of his armor changing shape, it flickers and disappears, as if fading out of existence—_

" _Kisaragi!" Meteor threw his fist at the face of the monster who resembled his friend, disorienting it. "I told you not to fight!"_

" _This is…" Gentaro stared at himself, the white armor of Fourze appearing then vanishing repeatedly. It stopped after a few seconds, the armor staying on, but he still felt that there was something… wrong._

 _Something off._

 _But before he could figure out what was wrong, he was struck by an unseen attack. The next thing he saw was his opponent – Zi-O – holding out a black, round thing at him._

 _His transformation, the Fourze system, disengaged as it turned into particles, all sucked into the thing in Zi-O's hand._

 _Immediately, as soon as everything was absorbed, it changed colors to white and orange._

" _Theeere we go!" Zi-O cheered, pumping his fist. "Wow, it was actually pretty easy this time around. Thanks!"_

…

 **[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ ZI-O! ARMOR TIME!** **『** **3 2 1** **』** **FO~URZE!]**

 **[LIMIT TIME BREAK!]**

 _The spinning kick sent Another Fourze flying, exploding into flames._

 _Zi-O landed, dusting off his hands and admiring his work._

 _However—_

 _Out of the flames, another humanoid stepped out._

 _It was Another Fourze, looking battered and broken._

 _His body shatters and cracks, falling to the ground in shards, revealing something else underneath._

 _It was like an insect molting out of its body._

 _The newly formed monster fires a blue energy blast at the ground, using that distraction to flee._

* * *

"Aaand that's what happened!"

Gentaro finishes telling his story, clapping his hands with a smile on his face.

No guilt, no regrets in his voice—

What a carefree man.

His friend lightly hits him across the head. "You just lost your powers—No, you let someone take the power of Fourze, just like that! Take this a bit more seriously, can't you?!"

"Ahahaha… Well, you know what they say, no use crying over spilled milk! Don't worry, Ryusei, we'll get 'em next time."

"I can't believe you can still say that in situations like these…" Ryusei sighs, shaking his head. He then turns to me—"By the way, you. Do you know anything about that Rider who calls himself Zi-O? You seem to use the same system as him."

"Sorry… No idea." I answer. "I'm just as confused as you are – maybe more, even."

"How did you obtain that belt, then?"

…

How the hell am I supposed to answer that…?

Do I just tell him the truth?

I could say I have amnesia, but having that and getting accepted into Beacon…?

That's way suspicious…!

"…If I said I found it randomly in a briefcase, would you believe me?"

Ryusei pauses for a bit, but nods. "Yeah, I guess I've heard of weirder stories from the other Riders. Come on, Gentaro. Let's give him a moment to rest. We'll tell you the full details tomorrow, once you feel better…"

"Right. And as much as Ryusei hates to say it…" Gentaro gets up from his seat, smirking at his friend. "We're going to need all the help we can get, especially from a fellow Rider like you."

I'm a bit overwhelmed, but…

I manage to nod slowly. Ryusei leaves first, followed by Gentaro.

I sink into my bedsheets.

Man, being a Rider is tough…

I wish my memories would come back already. It will surely make things easier…

…A knock on the door—

"Geiz?" Ruby's voice echoed from outside. "Can I come in?"

"Y-Yeah, go ahead!"

* * *

…

"So, uh…" Ruby fidgets with her fingers, looking around awkwardly. "They cancelled classes right after the attack—"

I chuckle softly. "Really? That's the first thing you say to me?"

She opens her mouth, but I interrupt her again. "That's good to hear, though. Homework is the last thing I want to worry about after all this."

"Well, you're just in luck, classes are cancelled tomorrow too!" She stops, and pulls herself back. "Ah, but I guess you wouldn't be able to enjoy a day off in that condition…"

"It's fiiine. I should be fine by morning, I think." I try to stretch my arm, but the pain causes me to winch. "…Hopefully."

"Sorry… I'm supposed to be the team leader, but I let you get hurt just like that—"

"Okay, no, stop. What happened wasn't your fault, so don't beat yourself up over it."

"…If you say so, Geiz. What are you gonna do now, though?"

"Rest and sleep my worries away, hoping I will never get attacked again for the rest of my life?"

"N-No, I meant in case that guy appears again…?"

That's a good question.

…I hate to say this, but the way I am now, I don't think I can beat him in a fight.

Maybe if I catch him off-guard, I might be able to beat him, even if barely.

He doesn't seem like a very experienced fighter – even if he's still more experienced than me – but the Ridewatches he uses gives him incredible power.

"…Don't worry. I won't lose next time."

…is what I just said, bravely, but I'm scared inside, dammit!

Ruby smiles, hearing my answer. It seems like she didn't notice that I was faking.

"Oh, right," Ruby reaches into her pocket, then places whatever was inside it on my hand. "Picked this up for you."

It's…

The Gates Ridewatch.

"Why—"

"Well, the guy who attacked you was about to pick it up from the ground, but I snatched it before he could do that!"

Ruby boasts, a prideful tone in her voice.

"Thanks, Ruby. I owe you one."

"Right! Now, as a reward, can I take it apart? I need to know how it works—"

"No!"

* * *

It really is a day off, just like what Ruby said.

…But instead of being all snug in my bed, I'm stuck in this empty classroom with Gentaro and Ryusei.

They're…

I don't know how else to explain this, but it's like a lecture.

Gentaro finishes his crude drawing of the white monster from yesterday, smiling proudly at his creation.

"…Right." Ryusei remarks, witnessing his friend's antics. "Where was I…? Ah, right. These beings—We call them Another Riders, courtesy of Kiryu Sento."

"Kiryu Sento…?"

I pondered out loud.

That's…

I don't know why, but I get the feeling that it's an important name.

"Yes, you heard that right. Kiryu Sento, Kamen Rider Build."

…Kamen Rider Build, huh.

I'll have to keep that in mind.

"Moving on," Ryusei continues, tapping the whiteboard with a really long ruler. "We don't know exactly how they are created, but one thing we know for sure – When one is born, the Kamen Rider they're copying will weaken in power. Worst case scenario, they'll disappear from history entirely – as if they've never existed."

"Stopping them isn't as simple as just kicking them, too," Gentaro interrupts. "An Another Rider can only be defeated by that Rider's power. Which is really hard to do since their powers are weakened—"

Ryusei nods. "Yes, which is why I told you not to fight. I was planning on just letting you deal the finishing blow to it…"

I raise my hand instinctively, like a student asking the teacher.

"Go ahead, Geiz!" Gentaro smiles, playing along.

"So, I'm guessing they just keep reviving if they are "defeated" by something else that isn't the original Rider?"

"Precisely. You've seen it happen with your own two eyes, right?"

"…Yeah. So, what's the plan?" I cross my arms. "We have to take care of that thing one way or another, right?"

"Of course. We have no intention of just letting it do as it pleases." Ryusei answers, no hesitation in his voice. "After Another Fourze was defeated by Zi-O, it… turned, transformed instead of disappearing for good. It's just a hunch, but from the brief glance I took, it looks like…"

"Another Meteor, right?" Gentaro says, a serious look on his face. That's rare—"I couldn't get a clear view of it, but I think you're right."

Ryusei nods. "Just to make sure, Another Fourze appeared inside Beacon, right?"

"Yeah. During yesterday's lunch break, in the cafeteria…"

"Then it's safe to assume that it will reveal itself again in this school. As such, for the foreseeable future, at least until we know for sure that Another Fourze, er Another Meteor has been truly defeated…"

"Ryusei will be staying here!" Gentaro interrupts, once again. "Besides, I can continue to teach here, too. It's Gentaro-sensei's long-awaited return from his leave!"

Ah, right.

I forgot Gentaro was a teacher…

* * *

A few days have passed since the incident. And so far, no further appearances of Another Fourze—Er, Another Meteor have been reported.

That said, classes have resumed normally, as if nothing happened at all. Well, security has been tightened though, and students are instructed to be on-guard at all times.

Luckily, the victims only suffered from light injuries…

Except me, of course. I got hit the most, apparently.

Honestly? It still hurts a little to move my arm.

Ah, speaking of…

Gentaro was a huge hit with the students. He's so friendly and easy to get along with, he feels more like a close friend rather than a teacher to me.

Ryusei, too. He's not a teacher, but he helps out with the combat class sometimes to teach hand-to-hand.

His martial arts skills are truly something else.

You can't go anywhere without hearing about the two of them. And the fact that they're Kamen Riders don't help, either—

"Something on your mind, Geiz?" Blake speaks up, breaking my line of thought. "It's not like you to play with your food like that. Eat up, before it gets cold."

"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something…" Hearing her words, I stop fiddling with whatever is in my bowl. "Honestly, though, this thing tastes the same whether hot or cold – really freaking bland."

"Yeah, and it's not gonna change no matter how much you play with it." Jaune commented from across the table, setting his plate down. "Alright, which one of you want to help me start a petition for better tasting food—"

"Man, I know, right?!" Gentaro's voice interrupted Jaune, catching the entire table – us – by surprise. "Ah, want me to relay the message over to Ozpin? I'm sure he'll listen to one of his teachers."

"Whoah, Mr. Gentaro!" Jaune exclaimed, surprised. "Didn't know you were listening…"

"Hey, it's fine! I've been thinking the same thing, anyway—"

Gentaro's brilliant suggestion was interrupted by a shriek.

I immediately turned to the source of the voice—

And lo and behold, déjà vu.

What played out in front of me was something I… no, we've already witnessed beforehand.

Students panicking, desperately running for the exit.

Behind the crowd of people, in the other corner of the room, was a monster.

No mistaking it… That must be Another Meteor. Unlike its previous form, Another Fourze, its body is now mostly black, adorned with white dots resembling stars. An organic-looking shoulderguard, colored blue, stands on his right side extending all the way to his torso. His head was covered in a clear, almost gelatinous blue substance – and behind it, a pair of purple, demonic eyes on a face that looks a mass of molten flesh can be seen.

It bends down and grabs a fallen boy by the neck, strangling and lifting him up—

Wait, isn't that Cardin?!

"Finally here, huh…" Gentaro says, fists clenched. "Geiz, I'll leave him to you! I'll go get Ryusei!"

I nod, taking my Driver out.

Ruby unsheathes and deploys her scythe as well, taking a battle stance. "You guys go get your weapons as well! …Or run, I won't blame you! That thing looks horrifying!"

The others nod, running to grab their gear.

"How do you keep getting away with not putting your weapon away, Ruby?!" Weiss yells, before following the others.

"The cape hides it~!" Ruby yells back, but I don't think Weiss heard her.

"You think the same plan from before will work?" I ask, inserting my Ridewatch into the Driver.

"I dunno, but it's worth a try. First things first, we have to get it to release Cardin."

I nod. Ruby launches herself to the air, using her weapon's recoil.

As for me…

"Henshin!"

 **[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ GATES!]**

* * *

Well, that proved easy enough.

Ruby was able to distract it easily, and with a well-placed shot from my weapon, Another Meteor was sent flying outside.

Naturally, Ruby and I follow as well.

It seems Another Meteor doesn't have access to all the different weapons that Another Fourze had…

Meaning it should be easier to handle, hopefully.

Outside, we find Another Meteor crouching down.

It then raises its right arm, and punches the ground below him—

Clouds of cosmic energy formed around it, spawning a bunch of humanoids dressed in black robes, wielding swords—

Ruby stopped in her tracks, surprised. "What the heck?! Ninjas?!"

Dustards…

I don't know why I know that name, but it just came to me.

"Do you think we can handle this many by ourselves…?" Ruby asked, hesitating.

"Won't know until we try…"

The sound of a shotgun blast rings through the air, as Yang jumps into the scene.

"Forgot about us, did you?" She smirks.

"Yang…!" Ruby smiled, seeing the arrival of her sister and her other friends. "Everyone too...! Let's work together!"

"Sorry, we're late!" Gentaro also comes running, with Ryusei behind him.

"Geiz, you come with me." Ryusei says, putting on his own Driver. "I'll leave the rest to you kids."

"Make your teacher proud!" Gentaro cheered, a wide smile on his face.

They nod, jumping into battle.

"M-Bus… Requesting transformation." He says, pushing the silver lever on the top of his belt all the way to the right.

 **[Meteor, Ready?]**

He spins his arms, forming a full circle before stopping, his right arm resting near his face and his left just above the belt.

"Henshin."

He swings his arms to the side, his right one hitting the blue, ball-shaped lever along the way—

Sparks of various colors came out from his belt, as blue-colored light beamed down from the skies above, covering his entire body with it.

The blue orb of energy disappears within a few seconds, revealing Ryusei, fully transformed.

"Kamen Rider Meteor. Your fate…" He runs a hand along his helmet—"…is mine to decide."

* * *

With the Hunters and Huntresses handling the Dustards, Ryusei and I move to take care of Another Meteor.

That said, I take actions first, swinging my ax at it. It easily parries my attack, though, and throws a few jabs at my chest, knocking me back.

With some range between us, the real Meteor steps in, throwing unrelenting punches at the monster, accompanied with a battle cry.

"WaaaaCHA!"

Throwing his fist back, Meteor throws a final punch to end his combo, sending Another Meteor flying.

"Heh. You might have the same power, but you don't have the _experience_!"

Wow, is he enjoying this…?

Ah, whatever—

 **[YOU** _ **BOW TO**_ **ME!]**

Another Meteor quickly gets back up on its feet, leaping high into the air at our direction.

"I won't let you…!"

I aim my weapon and fire several burst shots, causing it to land and fall to the ground prematurely.

"Nice one, Geiz!"

Meteor thanks me, as my attacks seemed to have bought some time for him to finish fiddling with the device on his arm—

 **[OK, Saturn!]**

Whatever it is, it causes a projection resembling the planet Saturn to appear on his right arm. He swings it upwards, firing several energy rings at the fallen enemy.

Alright, at the rate we're going, we're bound to win this fight…!

However—

Another Meteor counters, by firing his own set of Saturn rings. They collide mid-air, creating a small explosion.

I spoke too soon.

Meteor isn't fazed, and assumes his usual stance. But—

For some reason, his armor faded out, disappearing entirely.

"Huh…?"

It only lasts for a few seconds though, and after that it was back to normal.

"What's wrong?" I ask, rushing to his side.

"We don't have much time left… We have to finish this quickly."

This must be what he meant by powers weakening…

I nod, firing more shots at Another Meteor, managing to disorient it a bit.

"I'll provide covering fire, you go ahead and do your thing!"

"Hah, took the words right out of my mouth."

Meteor runs ahead, launching his right fist at his doppelganger. It reacts quickly, catching his fist with its own. The real one doesn't seem to care, as he throws his left fist fast enough at the monster's abdomen, delivering a flurry of jabs at the same spot—

"Atatatatatatatata!"

Eventually, the pain causes Another Meteor to let go of his fist, stumbling backwards due to the relentless attacks—

 **[OK, Mars!]**

Alright, in that case…!

 **[TIME CHARGE]**

 **[ZERO TIME!]**

Meteor sneaks behind the distracted enemy, as a projection resembling a fiery Mars appeared to cover his right fist. Wasting no time, he rears back his fist only to immediately slam it against the monster's body—

The impact causes a small explosion, and sends Another Meteor flying in my direction.

At this point, I let go of the trigger and fire a charged shot—

The energy arrow hits its target, creating an explosion that causes it to drop to the ground.

"Now!" Ryusei commands, flicking forward the button on his Switch—

 **[Meteor On, Ready?]**

—and hitting the round, black part of his belt, causing it to spin.

 **[Meteor, Limit Break!]**

"Let's finish it off!"

"Right!"

I press the button on my Ridewatch and dislodge it, before spinning it downwards.

It stops after a full 360 degrees, and causes the sound of a bell to ring out.

[ **FINISH TIME: TIME BURST!]**

I could feel energy forming around my right foot, and I made a break for it.

Seeing me run, Ryusei did the same and jumped into the air.

Instead of jumping, I throw my body to the ground and slide towards a disoriented Another Meteor. As soon as I'm under him, I jerk my right foot upwards. The kick causes a small shockwave to occur, launching it into the air, straight into Meteor's path.

Meteor's Rider Kick hits it dead-on, causing an explosion of blue energy in the air. Meteor skids past, landing in a crouching position behind me.

Out of the explosion, a Faunus boy fell out. I manage to catch him, and set him down on the ground safely.

Judging from his uniform…

Yeah, he's definitely a student.

But why…?

No, how…?

A black Ridewatch fell to the ground, not far from the boy.

Unlike mine, it seems to be a blank one, as it doesn't even have an icon—

 **[TIME MAZINE]**

Shit, that sound…!

A Time Mazine sped overhead, bringing with it no one else but the black and purple Rider.

"Aww, I was too late for the party, huh?" He says nonchalantly, looking at the battlefield. "Oh well, no matter. My main target is still present here, after all."

He turns to look at Meteor, summoning his weapon.

"…Like hell I'll let you."

Hearing me, Zi-O stops in his tracks.

"Oh…?" He turns his gaze at me. "Did you not learn your lesson?"

"…Honestly, I don't know what your deal is." I stand up, gripping my weapon and the blank Ridewatch tight.

Somewhere in my heart, there's a little bit of fear.

No, not a little…

This man could easily kill me if he wanted to.

But even stronger than this fear…

I know I can't just let him do whatever he wants.

"…Becoming the greatest, most beloved demon king of all time? That sounds like bullshit to me." I take a step forward, mustering up all the courage in me to face him. "But what I do know… is that the power of Riders shouldn't be used for something like that. They don't exist for your personal gain!"

Hearing that, he only laughed.

Not a maniacal one, but a fully wholehearted laugh, as if he just heard an amusing joke.

"Interesting! And what can you do to convince me, mongrel?"

…He's right.

I'm powerless compared to him – that much is true.

But even so, I…!

"Don't let him get to you, Geiz!"

Ryusei's words snapped me out of my thoughts.

The blank Ridewatch on my left hand began to glow, catching both our attentions.

"Huh…?"

What's going on…?

I look up, and the residual blue energy from Meteor's Rider Kick that remained began to glow as well. It condenses and shoots forward, entering the Ridewatch in my hand.

At the same time, Meteor's transformation disengages, his armor turning into blue particles that merge with the blue energy in my Ridewatch.

It emits a bright flash of light, causing me to cover my eyes.

When I open them, the blank Ridewatch in my hand has… changed.

The base is now colored a deep shade of blue, complimented with gray-colored dial. On the top of the watch's screen is a blue logo, a circle with several streaks behind it, like a shooting star, and on the bottom are numbers that spell out "2011".

Ah, so that's how it is…

I slide the dial down, making the arrow face left.

The screen now forms a face—

That's right, the face of Kamen Rider Meteor.

I hold the Ridewatch forward, pressing the button on the top.

 **[** _ **Fighting for the sake of friendship, the kenpo-using Rider is…**_ **]**

 **[METEOR]**

"I see, you've managed a Rider Inheritance…" Zi-O scoffs, pulling out a white and orange Ridewatch from his own holder. "And what can a mere secondary do against a main Rider like me?"

 **[FOURZE]**

"You'll see."

We slide our Ridewatches into their respective slots, triggering the confirmation sound. Once that's done…

"Lend me your power, Ryusei-san. Henshin!"

I hit the edge of my Driver with the back of my fist, causing it to spin. Zi-O does the same as well.

 **[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ ZI-O! ARMOR TIME!** **『** **3 2 1** **』** **FO~URZE!]**

 **[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ GATES! ARMOR TIME!** **『** **Meteor, Ready?** **』** **METEOR~!]**

A set of armor resembling Meteor appeared in front of me. I place my hand against it, and it breaks apart, the smaller pieces flying upwards and hovering above me. They then descend, placing themselves upon me one by one, causing a faint blue light to cover my body.

The Japanese letters for Meteor flew into my visor, completing the transformation.

My new form, of course, resembled Meteor's. The added armor pieces are colored black, with white lines and dots adorning the surface. But unlike the real one, I sport the blue shoulderguard on both of my shoulders. My helmet has received an extension, as well, everything above the visor now resembling a blue, falling meteor like Meteor's. On my forearm, right before my palm is a device like Meteor's arm-mounted weapon – The Meteor Galaxy.

Zi-O's armor was… odd, to say the least. His shoulderpads resembled the head of a rocket, split in half, while his arms are covered up with giant rockets. His leg armor also looked like the bottom of a rocketship, thrusters and all.

The demon king takes flight and charges at me, the thrusters on his rocket arms igniting. He launches himself at me at high speeds, but I manage to roll out of the way.

I turn around, seeing him in the middle of an overhead turn. I quickly turn up the third lever on my Meteor Galaxy, and press my finger against the touch panel.

 **[OK, Saturn!]**

"Take this!"

I swing my arm upwards, shooting several, purple-colored energy rings. Zi-O manages to dodge them the first time, swerving to the side, but they home in and strike him from behind.

The attack causes Zi-O to lose his balance and fall, making an emergency landing on the ground.

Zi-O skids along on the ground, pointing his left arm at me. The rocket on it detaches and fires, flying towards me like a missile.

This time, the second lever—

 **[OK, Jupiter!]**

I swing my arm upwards just in time, the Jupiter projection strengthening me and allowing me to punch the rocket away.

However—

It seems he has fired off his other one, while I wasn't looking…

Crap, I won't be able to block this one!

I brace myself for impact, but to my surprise, the rocket suddenly swerves and flies to the left, as if something had just knocked it over. I turn to the right, seeing Ruby aiming her sniper rifle, giving me a thumbs up.

I nod, a smile forming on my face – not like she can see it, anyway.

I turn my attention back to Zi-O, his free hands on his belt.

Ah, going for the finisher already, huh.

Alright, two can play that game!

I press the buttons on my Ridewatches, before dislodging the belt.

 **[FINISH TIME! FOURZE!] / [FINISH TIME! METEOR!]**

And at the same time, our belts spin.

 **[LIMIT TIME BREAK!] / [LIMIT TIME BURST!]**

"My fate… is mine to decide!"

My right fist glows a bright blue, as I feel the energy collecting on it.

Zi-O flies high into the sky, his body now looking like a rocket.

We charge at each other—

"Haaaaaah!"

"Hoooooh—WACCHA!"

* * *

Our finishers collided.

My punch collided with his kick.

And in the end, it was a tie – we were both blown back by the explosion it created.

"Ahahahahaha! That was more fun than I expected… Truly, you are _almost_ worthy of my time, mongrel!"

…Zi-O said something along those lines, before leaving.

I remove both Ridewatches, disengaging my transformation.

My legs feel like they're about to give in any moment – I can barely walk.

Ruby rushes over to me, followed by Ryusei and Gentaro.

"You okay, Geiz?" She asks, worried.

"Yeah, I am." I try walk forward, but immediately lose my balance—

Luckily, Ruby catches me before I could fall over.

"…Thanks. I'm just a bit tired."

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Yeah, I think." She releases her grip on me, and I rebalance myself. "Oh, right, here."

I hand the Meteor Ridewatch to Ryusei, but he slowly pushes my hand back, a small smile on his face.

"You can keep it for the time being." He tells me. "It seems like you need it more than I do now."

"Really? …Thanks, Ryusei-san. And sorry, Gen- Uh, Mr. Gentaro. I couldn't get the Fourze watch back—"

"Hey, it's fine! Don't worry about it!" He swings his around me, as we start to walk back. "What matters is you're safe. It's not like I currently need Fourze's power, anyway… There's always a next time!"

"Hey, you think they'll cancel classes again for the rest of the day?" Ruby spoke up from behind. "That was one heck of an exercise and I'd do anything for a nap right now. I'm sure the others would agree with me..."

I laugh. "Yeah, hopefully."

"I can try talk Ozpin into it, if it doesn't end up happening."

"Thank you, Mr. Gentaro!"

* * *

 **A/N: A bit late, but happy new year to everyone! Be sure to read until the end for this fic's equivalent of 0.5 episodes – aka where I explain how things work in this fic.**

 **Zi-O is getting better IMO, and Oma Zi-O using the Kiva watch was a surprise, haha. Darn Toei, ripping me off like that! I think a lot of things still need explaining, and sometimes the show doesn't even follow its own rules. Really sad that the 0.5 episodes have ended, though, I enjoy those a lot more than the regular episodes. Okay, ramble over. Replies incoming!**

 **Rider-04: There you go, I wrote out the full fight. Quick henshin was intended, I kinda wanted to get the chapter out as quick as possible and I'm sure we can all imagine how Fourze transforms, haha.**

 **To the others, thanks! And of course, those with questions, please read all the way until the end!**

 **Thank you for making it to the end, and I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Reviews of all kinds are appreciated as always, so please leave one and have a nice day!**

 **Next time, we're going ghost.**

* * *

 **Next up:**

 **"Hey, come on, wake up! Don't you dare die on _me_!"**

 **"I'm… dead?"**

 _ **[Kaigan: Specter!]**_

 **"Wait, wait, wait, I think you're mistaking me for someone else!"**

 _ **[Kaigan: Geiz!]**_

* * *

"Now, you might be wondering," Woz wandered into view, looking at _you._ "What just happened? Why did things end up like this? Before we start, we must take two things into consideration."

"The Another Riders are beings created to reroute history. Think of it like this: A straight line, from Point A to Point B. Just a single line… but then another one emerges from Point A, obscuring the previous line that leads to Point B. That is the Another Rider. As this alternate route contradicts the pre-established path of history, the real Kamen Rider will start to weaken, and if left for too long, will eventually be erased from existence. As for how they created, or who creates them... That'll have to wait for another day."

Hey, aren't we getting into spoiler territory here—

"What's that? Did you hear something? Anyway, that brings us to the next topic: Ridewatches. There are two ways to create a Ridewatch, first, through forced means like the one employed by Zi-O, where he has to defeat the Rider in battle and absorb their power to a blank Ridewatch. The second, is through the use of a Rider Inheritance."

"When the Fourze Ridewatch was created by Zi-O, Gentaro Kisaragi lost his powers as Kamen Rider Fourze. If the same had happened to Meteor, then the events of the series, the struggles that Gentaro Kisaragi and Ryusei Sakuta endured through, would be erased completely from history."

"But that didn't happen."

"Why?"

"Because Kamen Rider Gates inherited Meteor's power."

"To completely erase history and the memories associated with it, the power of every Rider related to that period of time must be absorbed. However, Meteor's power was passed on to Gates through a Rider Inheritance, saving the story of Kamen Rider Fourze from imminent deletion."

"Basically, Zi-O seeks to erase the Kamen Riders, while Gates preserves them."

"But then, what exactly is the Rider Inheritance?"

"It is a phenomenon that occurs when these following conditions are fulfilled:

The existence of a Rider whose wheel of destiny has stopped is in danger.

A newer Rider whose wheel of destiny is still turning is present.

Fourze's and Meteor's wheels of destiny have stopped – they have done their part, you could say, while Gates and Zi-O have only just started their journey. In this case, as the timeline scrambles and struggles, desperately trying to preserve the Kamen Rider in existential danger – the Rider Inheritance happens."

"However, that's not all there is to it. The endangered, progenitor Rider also needs to acknowledge the Rider that will become the inheritor of their powers. Sakuta Ryusei, Kamen Rider Meteor has acknowledged Kamen Rider Gates as someone worthy in his mind, which is why his power was inherited to Geiz and not Zi-O. Had Fourze not lose his power through forced means, the same would probably happen."

Woz slams his book to a shut.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. We shall meet again next time."

"Oh, by the way, Meteor Armor was able to win against Fourze Armor because Meteor once killed Fourze... at least that's what the writer wanted to do, but ultimately the scene didn't make it to the chapter. What a shame. Below, after the cut, is a dumbed down version of it."

W-well, I guess you can say that this scene takes place after the chapter too, though, so it's fine.

* * *

"Say, Gentaro-san. Have you ever lost a fight against Ryusei before?"  
"Well, there was that one time where he killed me."  
"What?!"  
"It's fine, we made up afterwards, and now we're best buds!"  
"No, no, wait, something is definitely wrong there!"


End file.
